Uzumaki Sunrise
by Edaar the Mage
Summary: Kushina Uzumaki has been held captive by ROOT for the past ten years before finally gaining her freedom and fleeing to the Hokage tower. Naru/Hina, Kushina is back as a ten year old Naruto's mother.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do now own Naruto or any characters in this fan fiction. I do not make money from this fan fiction.

Author's Note: So I had this idea while visiting my family and decided to give it a shot. Please give constructive reviews and no flames. I like lots of reviews, as any author does! I will tell you up front the pairing for Naruto, as in my other stories, is with Hinata. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

**Chapter 1: Welcome Home**

_Where am I?_

_What's going on?_

_ Why do I feel so tired?_

_ Who I am?_

_ So tired…_

Darkness again enveloped the mind, it had been happening more and more, the brief moments of awakening and sanity. But the moments were beginning to lasting longer each time.

Flashes would enter the mind, memories, a castle on fire, a village taking a small girl in, a blonde haired man with loving eyes, and pain. Pain was always the last memory before the darkness returned.

An unknown amount of time passed in the darkness. No feelings, no emotions, no memories, just darkness. And as her eyes opened she saw around her tubes leading to machines, there were only a few of them and the tubes seemed connected to her.

She breathed slowly as the memories came again. The room was dark, it looked as if it was rarely attended and the lights were dimmed. She tried to move her arms but they barely managed the motion before dropping back to rest beside her. She couldn't complete a thought, her mind was a torrent of unknown and confusion, a haze seemed to be covering her thoughts.

She lay there a few minutes, waiting for the darkness to again envelope her. Her eyes dimmed and then brightened with each breath, the darkness slowly receding but leaving her with no idea of who she was or where she was.

Slowly her hand moved to remove the tubes in her arm. It was slightly painful but she let out a sigh of relief as she felt the needles leave her body. She tried to rise but found herself too weak to do so. She merely managed to move her head to from side to side.

The room she was in was a small cell. Each side was concrete blocks with white paint over them. It was a small room with little more than enough space for her cot, the machines around her, and enough room for a single person to move around comfortably. The door to the room looked unlocked and the outside hallway was dark.

Trying again she managed to raise her head, her mind swimming in confusion at the movement after being in darkness for so long. Her arms were beginning to regain feeling and she ran her fingers down her legs, she could feel her legs and her fingers on the smooth skin. She let out a small sigh of contentment at the touch and the returning of feeling in her body.

Slowly she began to move herself again, each time managing to move a little more. Her body felt enormously heavy and stubbornly refused to move at her command. She had to slowly move each part of her body as feeling returned until she finally managed to move herself into a sitting position and surveyed herself. Her hair was long and hung in a dirty, tangled mess. Her body was covered only by a hospital gown but appeared uninjured. The haze in her mind was beginning to finally clear and her mind began with questions again.

_Who am I?_

_ Where am I?_

_ What am I?_

_ I must escape!_

The final thought crossed her mind as she tried to stand from her cot only to find her legs had trouble supporting her. Her legs simply didn't have the strength to maintain her body and collapsed underneath her. She fell back to the cot, the cot was made of a single sheet of wood with a small pad for its only comfort and as she fell she felt her body strike the wood underneath. She tried again using her hands on the machines next to her to support her.

She took deep breaths as she tried to walk forward, pushing herself toward the door. One step, a second step, slowly her legs began to remember their function. Her legs trembled and burned in retaliation to their use after so long asleep. She made it to the door but was still struggling to remain standing. She stopped and began to take deep breaths, she had only gone but a few steps and already her legs were protesting that much use. Shaking her head she forced herself to calm down. She tried the doorknob and found it unlocked.

The hallway before her was silent and darkened with a light coat of dirt. The sides of the hallway were made of compacted dirt and the ceiling concrete giving mute testimony that there were more levels above her. The floor beneath her was made of the same concrete. It was hard and rough under her bare feet. She took a deep breath and placed a hand on the wall beside her for support, leaning heavily as she began to walk down the hallway. Occasionally she would pass doors but she ignored them lost in her thoughts.

She had no idea how long had passed but flashes came to her mind, memories surfacing after so long. She saw a place and people, they had red hair and green eyes, they were laughing and smiling. Then she saw a castle in the mountains on fire, people dead and dying, a hand holding hers leading her away from it. She stared in horror at the destruction around her and looked at the man holding her hand.

He smiled at her and squeezed, his brown eyes trying to give her comfort. It was in a flash that she saw the giant gates to a great village, it was gigantic, larger than anything she had ever seen before. She was told she'd be safe there and to be careful with her knowledge of who she was and where she came from. The man with the brown eyes handed her safety over to an older man, he had lines on his face but smiled gently at her, and he radiated strength and confidence and was obviously still in his prime.

The lights in the hallway began to brighten bringing her back to the here and now. Her eyes hurt slightly at the brightened lights but thankfully it wasn't much and her eyes slowly began to slowly adjust. There was still no sound but brighter lights meant this place was more used than the one she came from.

She slowed and took a moment to catch her breath. She hadn't realized how tired her body was from simply walking. After a few minutes to catch her breath she continued on, her eyes wandering over the different doors and paths she could take. But she continued down this corridor, it seemed to be the main one that the others connected too and her body simply wanted to continue in a straight line, it was easier.

Finally she came to crossroads, the corridor she followed branched off going right or left but no indication of which one was the exit. Without knowing it her hands felt the walls, as if on their own accord, and noticed one side was smoother than the other and her feet felt for the slight wear on the fool which indicated that one path was more traversed. And so she chose to go right and follow the instincts of her body.

As she followed the hallway her memories surfaced again, she saw herself in a classroom, she was writing something. She saw a young blonde boy near her who laughed with her and talked to her. Then an older version of the boy became superimposed and she saw the love in his eyes. The image seemed to recede and she saw they were standing on the balcony of a tower and a sense of safety surrounded her in the memory.

Again she was brought back to reality as her nose caught a new scent. She had no way to understand how much time had passed but her body was beginning to hunger, but when she caught a breath of air, it was different. Her nose was used to the cold, stale air around but this was difference. It was fresh air from above.

She looked for the source and saw a doorway she had passed and moved backward and sniffed again, and again she smelled fresh air coming from the door. She opened it to find a stairway leading up and down. The stairway had a few lights but it wasn't much more than the previous hallway and the stairs were made from the same concrete as the hallway. She stood in the hallway for a few minutes allowing herself time to rest before continuing on. Her brow was beaded with sweat and her body was cramping up from the short walk to the stairs.

Following her nose she began to take the stairs upward moving slow as her legs began to burn from the exertion. Her entire body was tired beyond anything she could understand. Her reactions felt sluggish as she forced herself to move up the stairs and her mind seemed to have a constant cloud over it. Her movements were more something made from reflex and reaction than conscious choice.

She followed the stairs as high as they would take her until it came to stop at a doorway. For the fourth time she stopped and breathed heavily, she was so tired and every muscle in her body was burning from the exertion of the climb. She pushed the door open to find herself in a small room with no exit. It was dark and she was confused.

Her nose told her that there was fresh air behind the wall but she couldn't find a way out. She began to unconsciously feel the wall. What her hands were searching for she wasn't sure but eventually her fingers found a spot that wasn't like the others, it was slightly softer, more pliable, it was different. She pressed the point and a small opening appeared in the wall.

She went through the opening and found herself in a supply closet filled with cleaners, brooms, and various other cleaning supplies. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. She listened and heard voices in the hallway before her. She froze and instinct alone told her to move and through hardwired reflex she flattened herself against the wall next to the door so not as to be discovered.

As the voices passed she breathed slightly easier. She opened the door slightly and saw the light beaming through the crack was brighter than anything she was used too. Her eyes immediately felt pain as if someone had pierced them with a burning nail. She brought her hand up to protect her eyes and silently closed the door. It took her eyes a few minutes before they returned their normal sight to her.

She knew she couldn't remain, her instincts were screaming to keep moving, that staying in that closet would lead to capture. She took several deep breaths and opened the door. She kept her eyes almost entirely closed and a hand to protect them from the harsh light and instead used her free hand on the wall and the feeling over her bare feet to guide her to where her nose said was outside. The hallway she was walking on was brightly lit from ceiling lamps. The floor was tiled and the walls were white washed and cleaned. She began to move quickly following her noise to the scent of the outside.

She broke through a small reception area and she heard several people gasp in her direction. Her mind shut down, she had been discovered, and training and reflex so hard wired in her that it acted without her even telling it to on a conscious level took over. She flung herself to the side near the door and with the door to her back and quickly exited the building.

She heard the sound of more people coming and pressed the door handle opening the door and found herself outside. Her mind wanted nothing more than to stop and stare at the world around her and dozens of people stopped and stared at her. She must have looked like a mad woman with her hair matted and dirty the way it was and wearing nothing but a hospital gown to cover her body.

But then she saw the tower, the one from her memories. The one place that screamed safety in her mind. She was certain he would be there, the blonde man with the blue eyes who held such emotion for her. And again her training took over and her body was forced into a run as she bolted for the tower. She wasn't sure how she was able to run, her primal flight sense had taken over and pushed her body well beyond its limits on pure adrenaline.

She knew she was being followed, she felt it around her, she heard the voices, and she knew the shadows were moving. Her eyes were blinded by the light of the sun and hurt painfully, she simply couldn't see anything but her body knew this path, knew these roads. She moved faster with each step, her body flooded with emotion as memories of the blonde man returned to her. She ran off the power of raw emotion.

Candle lit dinners with him, holding his hand, the feeling of his lips, it all returned in a rush as she took step after step toward the tower. Her heart was racing, her eyes watered and tears escaped, her body was pushed beyond its ability in her weakened state but she felt the doors to the tower with her fingers and pushed her way in before continuing her flight.

Adrenaline pumped through her system as she ran through the corridors. She heard voices shouting to stop her as her mad rush she made it to a reception area. Her eyes were able to see fuzzy shapes and she could just make out the doors before her. Then hands were around her, they were pulling her back from the doors.

And she screamed with all the pain and remorse and terror in her body the one word that came to her as she struggled against the hands pulling her back from the doors, "MINATO!"

Suddenly everyone stopped, they were silent at the cry. They stared at the woman who had fallen to her knee's before them. She sobbed on her knees, tears streaming down her dirty face. They watched her as pan struck their own hearts at the sight and all they could hear saying as she began to crawl toward the door was "Minato" over and over between her sobs as she tried to reach out to the office of the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

The doors opened as a frantic Hiruzen Sarutobi emerged. The old man wore the white Hokage robes outlined in red. His hat had been left inside next to his pipe on his desk. He had heard the woman scream the name of his predecessor, something he had never expected in the last ten years. In a rush had opened the door to find a crying young woman crawling toward his office. She looked up at him, her eyes barely able to make out his shape and the tears streaming down her dirt covered face. He stopped and gasped at her.

Her hair, it was clean, would be a deep red and long. Her eyes were emerald green and her skin pale from lack of light. She was half naked in her hospital gown and her hands were stretched in a pleading stance as she said Minato's name over and over through her sobs. Her face was thin and gaunt and her body looked as it had been extremely malnourished.

"Everyone, no one is to speak of this. Get this women into my office immediately, send for a team of medics from the hospital, the best we have. I want a futon in my office for this woman to lie down on as well and blankets and tea! I want a contingent of ANBU around my office with the highest security immediately!" The third hokage ordered.

Everyone simply stared at the sobbing and hysterical woman before them before he released an immense amount of killing intent at them, "I SAID NOW! GET MOVING!"

As everyone immediately vacated the area Hiruzen leaned down and picked the woman up and carried her into his office in his own arms. She was still crying hysterically as more and more memories began to surface. A futon was brought into his office immediately along with several blankets and a pot of tea and some brushes and extra clothing. He thanked them for thinking ahead as he laid the woman down on and covered her in the blankets.

She had felt as light as paper to the old man, he couldn't believe she weighed so little. Her lips were dry and cracked and her eyes were slowly regaining a sense of where she was. He lifted a cup of tea to her and she drank sips from it. She had finally calmed down once she was brought into the office, it was somewhere she associated with safety and security. She had tried to lift a cup of tea herself but failed, her bolt to the tower had simply taken everything her body had left and it was shutting down on her, her muscles were giving out from exhaustion now and the hokage helped her lay back against the pillows gently.

She began felt safe here and she knew the old man would keep her safe in this place. She began to relax more and more as her body demanded rest of her. Her mind and body wrapped themselves in the safety of this place, she knew it was safe from anything. She also knew the man before her, he was older but she knew he was the same one who had welcomed her to the village in her memories.

The team of medics arrived within minutes and began to examine. They gave her a sedative which allowed her to promptly fall asleep on the futon. The team went to work and their hands glowed green as they checked her vitals and healed any possible damage from her run to the tower. They took blood samples and had them sent to the lab. It was late in the evening when they finished their examination and gave their reports.

"Her entire body is atrophied, like we see in long term coma patients. Her mind seems to be intact but we have found traces of drugs in her blood which we use to induce medical comas in patients who have been seriously injured and required time and rest to recover. We can't find anything wrong with her aside from horrible malnutrition and the muscle atrophy. We're already working to reconstruct her muscular development and we'll see about removing the remaining traces of the drug before morning. Even with our work on her muscular system she'll need several months of fitness training and good dieting to regain the bulk of her lost weight and muscle tissue. But we should be able to reconstruct it enough to where she won't have to stay in the hospital.

"The drug is probably messing with her mind and memories, for someone to be placed into a medically induced coma like this for so long to allow these symptoms to come about are just horrible! Lord Hokage, it would explain the way she acted when she got here, she probably had some memory of this tower being safe and came to it for protection."

"Thank you, continue your work. I will be remaining here with the woman until she wakes up. You and your team are not to mention this to anyone, understand?" Hiruzen told them.

With a nod and a bow the medic returned to his work as Hiruzen sat and watched. He wouldn't let them out of sight at all.

The Hokage lost himself to his thoughts as he watched the medics work on the woman before him, he was deeply concerned by what this meant.

_Kushina Uzumaki, Minato's wife and lover, we thought she was dead these past ten years. She simply disappeared and hasn't been heard from since that day and now here she is. Whatever it means it is going to be a lot of paperwork,_ the Hokage thought to himself.

It was early morning when the woman awoke again. She found it easier to move and she was laying comfortably on the futon. She raised her head and looked around and saw the old man before her. Her memories were still groggy from the after affects of the drugs used to keep her in the coma but she knew to whom she was speaking.

"Lord Third Hokage, what are you doing here? I-I thought Minato would be here," her voice was merely a whisper as it escaped her lips.

"It's alright Kushina, I'll have some tea brought in immediately, just rest a moment. I want you to tell me everything you can remember and I'll fill in the gaps as best I can. And just call me Hiruzen for now alright?" The third hokage spoke gently to the woman before him, knowing she was still confused and probably didn't have all of her memories back yet.

The tea arrived, it was a special blend from the hokage's own garden and had a very good calming effect on people. He handed a cup to Kushina her took several sips and thanked the hokage.

"Now why don't we start from the beginning, tell me everything, your name, where you're from, and please start from the beginning. This room has been secured from intrusion and I have a contingent of ANBU outside guarding us. I also have a silencing jutsu placed around us so no one can hear our conversation. Your safe here Kushina, I promise." He smiled gently at her and she nodded.

Kushina nodded, "My name is Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze, well, most people know me as Kushina Uzumaki. I was born in the Whirlpool Country which was destroyed and absorbed into the land of fire. I came here when I was young, seven years old, brought by my body guard. I was the only survivor of the royal line but I chose to remain here and go to the academy and become a kunoichi of the leaf village."  
The memories had come back with more clarity when she had awoken and she was now sitting on the futon with the blankets wrapped tightly around her as she held the cup of tea in her hands taking sips every so often.

"I fought for the village in the great shinobi war and earned the nickname the Crimson Death. I also met Minato Namikaze, the fourth hokage, while at the academy who helped me through the academy and was my best friend and later my husband. I remember our wedding, it was a quiet wedding with only a few friends, and… I-I remember…" her eyes suddenly shot open, her body froze as the final pieces fell into place and she dropped the cup of tea as she grabbed Hiruzen's robes and pulled her to her face.

"Naruto! My god, where is Naruto! Is he ok? What's happened to him! Where is Minato? He did it didn't he, he sealed the beast in our son and he's gone! That's why you're here and he isn't! Where is Naruto! I have to find him!" Kushina began to rise only to be held back by Hiruzan as he pulled her back to the futon and placed his arm around her in a hug. He was much stronger than she remembered, or she was much weaker.

It was then that Kushina realized how thin she felt as she had tried to rise and brought her hands to her face and saw how thin her arms and body were. She felt her hair and realized how dirty she was. But none of this mattered, the only thing on her mind was Naruto, she had to get to Naruto and make sure he was safe!

"A lot has happened Kushina, please calm down, take some deep breaths, I'll explain everything. Naruto is safe and well, I assure you. Please just give me a moment to collect my thoughts and I'll bring you up to speed," Hiruzen spoke in a claming voice as he held the woman in check by him. He knew she was still terribly weak from her ordeal and would need time to recover but he also knew they needed information on where she had been all these years.

Kushina took several deep breaths as the hokage handed her another cup of tea. He took a moment to allow her to breath and gather herself for what he had to say.

"Minato did seal the Kyubi no Yoko within Naruto that night he was born. That was ten years ago Kushina, we… we thought you were dead. And you're right, that's why Minato isn't here, but I assure you that Naruto is safe and healthy. He is ten years old and if I don't miss my guess he'll grow up to look almost exactly like Minato did. We'll go see him very soon, I know you don't like it but we need to figure a few things out before we leave here. Kushina, where have you been? We thought you were dead and now you suddenly appear, what happened?"

The momentum of the words struck Kushina Uzumaki as if a mountain had been dropped on her. Ten years of her life was gone! Ten years with her son! And Minato was gone as well! She felt the weight of those words press down on her as she struggled to remember that night so many years ago. It had been storming outside, they knew the Kyubi was approaching and Minato didn't have much time.

"I-I had just given birth and Minato was there, he smiled and we were so happy. Even though we knew what was coming we wanted to be a family if just for a moment. Then the ANBU arrived, they told him the Kyubi was nearby and he was needed. He smiled at me and kissed me cheek telling me that he was glad to know Naruto wouldn't grow up alone.

"Then a squad of ANBU arrived shortly after that and I was told they were moving me to a more secure location, something about protecting the roots of the village. I thought it was a term of endearment for their Hokage and his family but as soon as we were outside the hospital I was rendered unconscious. Then the next thing I knew I was in some kind of cell and strapped down to a table and they were taking blood samples and I heard these voices talking about the 'Kyubi containers mother' and wondering if I was a random choice or someone special for my blood. They didn't seem to know I was Minato's wife."

As she talked her memories returned sharper and she recalled the voice, and the face of the man who had imprisoned her.

"I remember! Yes! One of the voices as Danzo! That Son of a Bitch! He did this to me with his ROOT! I-I'LL KILL HIM FOR THIS!" Kushina screamed as her very essence burned with hatred for the man who had stolen ten years of her life, ten years away from her son, and she again tried to rise as her rage took over her as her memories returned from that night.

"No Kushina, I'll handle Danzo, he won't escape justice for this. I promise. From what the medic nin's could find they must have determined nothing special about you and simply put you into a medically induced coma. Also if you were out of the way he would have a much easier chance of taking Naruto as his own and turning the boy into a weapon. If I would guess Danzo probably thought he might be able to use you later as a bargaining chip against Naruto if he ever became like his father but didn't want to leave you alive or awake knowing your reputation," Hiruzen said to calm the raging woman.

"Right now, the most important thing is to get you healthy and return you to your son. I know it's going to be hard for you but I think you need to understand what he's gone through for the past ten years. I know Minato hoped he would treated as a hero…" but as the hokage was about to begin his story Kushina interrupted.

"Minato always put too much faith in the village, I knew our son would be treated badly but I thought I would be there to be with him and hold him and comfort him. I figured if I was there he would be safe from harm and the village would accept him a normal boy a lot easier, I take it that didn't happen?" her voice was filled with rage at being denied her son for so long, missing so many times she could be with him, to push him on the swing, so many birthdays she had missed, and her eyes had tears streaming down them as she felt a wave of regret pass over her.

"I-I'm afraid not, most of the people couldn't tell the difference between the container and the monster contained within. I'm sorry Kushina, I wanted to do more for him, but I passed a law which made it illegal to discuss the kyubi no yoko or its confinement or to harm the boy under pain of death and I have carried out that sentence many times to protect him. Many stores refuse to sell to him, or they charge him higher prices, and the parents told their children to stay away from him. The way I understand it, he's had a very lonely life and I've done my best but there is only so much I can do, I'm sorry Kushina."

He saw Kushin's tears increase as she cried in silence. Her hands clenched into fists and he knew she was close to flying off again.

"But it hasn't been all bad, let me tell you about him before you pass too much judgment. Several clans tried to adopt him when he was found to be an orphan including the Nara's, the branch clan of the Hyuga, Akimichi's, Inuzuka's, they all wanted to keep him safe and honor his father's will. They're children have kind of become friends with Naruto. And you'll know him immediately, he has such faith in humanity Kushina, he's such a caring person, even after everything he wants to become Hokage to protect this village and earn their respect. Reminds me of you when he talks about earning others respects."

"He sounds like my little Naruto, I won't him be alone a moment longer Hiruzen, I want to see him immediately," Kushina said as she rose and felt the blankets begin to slip off her shoulders to reveal her half naked state in the hospital gown. The third hokage had averted his eyes as she blushed and gathered the blankets around her again.

"Um, maybe you should shower and get a change of clothes first and a meal. The medic's said you were in safe condition but malnourished so we need to get you fed," Hiruzen told her as she continued to blush in front of the old man.

She was handed a robe and led to the hokage towers private bathing area for VIP's. Kushina knew exactly what the bathroom was like since she and Minato had come there several times together. She blushed as she thought of Minato's toned body against hers as the hot water rained down on them. She remembered his strong arms holding her to him and her breasts pressed against his firm chest. She sighed at the memories brought back in the room and then depression hit her as she remembered that was more than ten years ago and that she would never hold her love again. But her heart held up by the thought of finally seeing her little Naruto again and she knew nothing would stop her from that moment but she also didn't want to look like a mad woman when he saw her for the first time.

She turned the hot water on and began to scrub her body clean of the dirt and grime which had accumulated over the years. Her hair was the worst part and she was forced to spend nearly an hour untangling it and straightening it out. After scrubbing her skin raw and removing the smells of dirt and decay which had followed her she exited the shower to find a fresh robe and several sets of clothing laid out for her.

She decided on a pair of black pants and a dark green shirt with a black jacket with red swirls on the shoulders. She had thought about a dress as being more appropriate but none had been provided. She quickly dressed and dried her hair, allowing it to hang freely before returning to the Hokage's office.

"You look much better Kushina, are you feeling alright? I had some lunch brought for you, my private chef whipped up your old favorite, Miso Ramen," Hiruzen told her but she shook her head.

"No Hiruzen, I will not eat until I find my Naruto. My first meal will be with him, I want to see him now, it's been longer than I wanted to wait anyway and I won't wait a moment longer. I agreed with you on getting changed and showered before going but now that that's done I will see my son."

The fire in Kushina's eyes was so bright it nearly caused Hiruzen to fall back from his chair. He knew that there was no way this was an imposter, only Kushina Uzumaki would have such a spark inside her. He smiled as it reminded him of Naruto.

"Alright Alright, let's see, by the time we get to the academy he should be getting out of class for lunch anyway. So let's go reunite you with your son Kushina."

With a sharp nod the third hokage left the hokage tower in the presence of the red headed woman who had come bursting in the day before crying for Minato Namikaze. As they walked down the hallway many people stopped and stared at Kushina. Her flight the day before had caused many to wonder at who she was and now that she was cleaned up, even as thin as she was, every recognized the beauty of the woman before them.

As they exited the tower Kushina stared at the changes to the village, things were the same but different. Shops which had been new when she had last visited them showed signs of age and either fortune or hard times.

She felt oddly out of place as she walked with the hokage. For her mere days had passed since walking through this market with Minato. And now things were different and yet the same. She couldn't help feel the loss in her heart as she knew that never again would Minato's smiling face be seen to meet her for ramen or walk with her arm in arm. She looked at the people around her, many not recognizing her as the woman who had fled to the tower the day before as she was lost in thought.

The realization was slowly taking hold of her again and its enormity was overwhelming, Minato was gone and she had missed out on ten years of her son's life. It was gone in the blink of an eye and before she knew it she and hokage had stopped outside the academy and were watching as the children came outside to play. They all looked so happy and glad to be out of class and she immediately picked out the different clan's from the group but she couldn't find her own Naruto's blonde head.

"I don't see him Hiruzen, where is he?" she asked as her entire being was caught in that moment.

The old hokage chuckled, "Watch the black haired girl there and you'll find him."

Kushina looked everywhere for her son but she couldn't find him. She did however see a small black and blue haired girl with pale lavender eyes moving away from the crowd and toward a group of trees. She followed the girl her eyes and found that she was watching something. Curious she followed the girls gaze to a small blonde haired child.

He was sitting alone making a cup of instant ramen far from the other children. He smiled brightly as the ramen finished being made and her heart nearly stopped in her chest. She had seen that smile every day on Minato's face and in her dreams. He was the spitting image of Minato when he was that age and tears began to run down her face.

She took a step forward toward the child before turning the next step into a sprint to the boy. She came to a stop a few feet from him and looked him in wonder. Her green eyes had tears running down them and she could only stare at the blonde haired Naruto before him.

Naruto looked at the red haired woman before him with a bright smile and waved at her, "Um, Hi! I'm Naruto, who are you? Would you like some Ramen?"

She stared speechless at the boy and dropped to a single knee, "I-I, N-Naruto, y-you, your beautiful!"

"Um, thanks I think? Are you ok? You're crying?" he asked with concern in his voice.

Naruto was thoroughly confused by the woman before him and wasn't sure what to make of her.

"Naruto, my little Naruto, you… you look just like him, like your father, I-I'm, my name is Kushina Naruto, Kushina Uzumaki. I-I'm y-your mother my little Naruto."

Kushina's entire heart stopped at that moment as she watched her son's reaction, her entire being had been so afraid of this moment when the hokage had told her she had been gone for so long. She was so afraid he would reject her, so terrified that he would hate her for not being there for him for so many years. He dropped his ramen cup as he looked at her.

A single stuttering word escaped his lips, "M-m-mommy?"

She nodded to him as she was too scared to do anything else and smiled softly at him and began to try and apologize for not being there for him, "I'm so so-"

She started but was forced to stop a blonde bundle suddenly attached himself to her in a fierce hug. He was crying onto her shoulder as she held him there, holding him close to her and refusing to let go. She held her son close to her, refusing to let him go for anything in the world.

"Mommy! I knew you'd come back for me, I knew it!" he said as he cried on her shoulder as the dream he had held for so many years finally came true.

The Third Hokage smiled, it was one of the few times in his entire life he felt like he had managed to do something truly and entirely good. And as he watched on her noticed the small black and blue haired girl had a smile on her face and tears coming down her face.

_Welcome Back Kushina, I get the feeling you and Naruto are going to cause a lot of trouble in the future aren't you heh_, the hokage thought to himself.

Kushina and Naruto held each other for a long time before they finally broke the embrace and Kushina, holding Naruto in her arms walked back to the Hokage.

"Hey Old Man! I-I have a mom!" Naruto said with excitement the old Hokage.

The hokage chuckled at the boy, "I see that, I'm glad she was able to come back to you Naruto, now why don't the three of us go and get some lunch together, it'll be your mother's first meal in a long time."


	2. Return, Changes, and Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters in this fan fiction. I do not make money from this fan fiction.

Author's Note: I am so glad to receive such an outstanding response from the first chapter of this fan fiction. My goal is to update this fan fiction at least once per week, maybe twice if I can manage it.

I'm sorry if some things early on feel a tad rushed, they will slow down, but the way I've always viewed Kushina was much like Naruto, she doesn't wait around to wait for things, she prefers to go after it full bore with attitude to match. I also promise I will not make Naruto overpowered beyond belief in this story, I like Naruto to be believable in his level of strength.

I hope you all enjoy chapter 2 and please keep the reviews coming! I do read all reviews and many times I take advice if I think it will help advance the story in a way I hadn't considered previously.

**Chapter 2: Return, Changes, and Memories **

It was early the next morning, the light from the sun was just cresting over the forest and quiet presided over a small apartment in Konoha. Kushina stared at the dishes before her, she had almost fainted when Naruto had shown her where he lived. She guessed that the hokage had never told him it was the same apartment that she had been given when she came here as a refugee so long ago or that he was using the same plates and silverware or pots and pans that she had used when she lived there as well. She guessed the hokage thought it proper that her son be given those things.

She let her fingers run along the pots and pans, the plates and the counters. Her eyes drifted around the kitchen and living room as her own memories of the place filled her mind. She had wanted to make Naruto breakfast but right now she was caught in her own mind as thoughts of her past filled her very soul.

The day before Kushina had pushed the feelings coming to her and the memories aside and tried to live only in the moment to be with Naruto. She had been so caught up with finally being with her son that reality had not completely set in on her and now in the early morning quiet she was forced to face that reality.

It was difficult to remember that more than ten years had passed since her last time in this place. To her it was only weeks before when Minato had come into their home through the window and kissed her while placing his hand on her pregnant stomach and smiling. To her only a few days had passed since Naruto had been safely in her arms as an infant. And now she was standing in her old apartment, Naruto's apartment now.

She had grown up in this apartment. She knew where the nooks and crannies were that she used to hide weapons, some which were probably still there. She saw the desk she had used on occasion to study was still there and knew that behind the desk drawer was a small heart with her and Minato's name's from the days when she had crushed on the little boy.

She giggled as she remembering having to practically scream at the man that she had liked him for years and demanded a date from her best friend.

**Flashback**

Minato had come back from a very dangerous mission with his sensei Jiraiya. They had infiltrated a large rock village encampment along the border and managed to steal several highly classified documents containing defense layouts, troop movements and capacity. The mission had a very low survival chance but Minato and Jiraiya had pulled it off without a scratch to show for it.

"Minato, I'm so glad you came back safe from your last mission!" Kushina said as rushed to him hugged her friend.

Minato placed a hand behind his blonde head and scratched it, returning the hug with one arm, "Thanks Kushi, I didn't know you cared so much," he told her sheepishly.

Kushina had spent the last two years dropping ever increasing hints to her best friend he needed to ask her out on a date but he was so dense when it came to women he never seemed to get the idea. Even when she asked his best friend Hiashi Hyuga to mention it he had still not gotten the message.

Kushina broke her embrace and glared at him, "I've cared more for you than anyone else in my entire life Minato, how is you don't understand that yet?" she told him with regret and anger apparent in her voice.

"Wait? What? I mean, anyone?" Minato said as he took an involuntary step backward looking at the girl before him with wide eyes at the news.

"Minato Namikaze, you are the densest man in this entire world! How could you not know this? We've been best friends since we were 7 years old!" She yelled at him as tears began to come down her eyes.

"Kushina! Why are you crying? I don't understand?" Minato said alarmed by the tears.

"I'm crying because it's obvious you only see me as a friend and I won't ever get you to ask me out. So fine, I'm done waiting! Minato Namikaze, you have about 10 seconds to ask out the prettiest, sexiest and deadliest kunoichi in this village or I'll tell Jiraiya you secretly love his work and want to be featured in every ichi ichi issue from this point on!"she told him glaring at him and placing her hands on her hips.

"You… you really w-want to d-date?" Minato asked quietly.

"I've only tried to tell you this for years Minato, you'd think you would have gotten the message by now," she retorted.

The next thing Kushina knew Minato had pulled her into a deep embrace and she felt tears running down his cheeks, "Please Kushi, go out with me, I never thought… I mean, I always thought you just wanted to be my friend, you've always been there for me for years, you know me better than anyone in this world, of course I want to go out with you!"

_My god, I can only imagine how dense any kids he has are going to be_, Kushina thought with a giggle and blush.

**End Flashback**

She had been living here when Minato had shown up for their first date, he had been dressed in black pants and a dark colored shirt, his smile was gentle and his hair was held back by his forehead protector. She remembered the doorbell ringing and opening it and how his jaw had dropped. She was always a tom-boy when they were younger and their date was the first time she had ever worn a dress for him or anyone.

Kushina had pulled out all the stops for that night wanting him to remember that image of her forever and have it burned into his memory. She had worn a tight red kimono with a flame pattern on it which accented her curves and hair while showing plenty of leg. She had done her hair up in an elaborate braid above her head and grinned at his response knowing she had the exact response she was looking for.

Kushina smiled as she remembered that date and how he had walked her home, insisting on seeing her to her door and then getting nothing but a kiss on the cheek and an impish grin as she shut the door in his face saying he needed to be more creative than a dinner and a movie next time.

Kushina also felt the depression of knowing Minato was never coming through that door again. That she would never see his soft smile or hold his strong hands or feel his lips, it made her regret not kissing him that night. She had no idea how precious such things would be later in their lives or the sacrifices they would have to make. But she also knew she would not let her Naruto make the same mistakes when he found someone or more likely when she found him as thoughts of a dark haired girl hiding behind a tree made her smile.

Finally Kushina brought herself back to the kitchen and began to push her mind back to the present where she began to pick up the pots and pans and turned the stove on. She had cooked for years on this stove and knew just what Naruto would like, breakfast ramen! Her secret recipe involving bacon, eggs, and ramen noodles all soaked in fried rice and a sauce made from the ramen liquid.

Memories returned as Kushina thought about how she had looked so forward to cooking breakfast for her family. She had to fight back the tears which threatened to burst from her as she was again reminded with a sharp pain to her heart she had been forced to miss 10 years of his son's life and lost the love of her life all at once.

She had cooked Minato this breakfast before missions in the early morning. He would arrive an hour before they were told to leave just to help her and would also help her clean up. He loved her breakfast ramen special. She looked at the table in the room, another reminder that Minato would never sit there again, never laugh at her jokes or make her blush.

She could almost see his image at the table smiling at her and laughing. The look of his eyes and his blonde hair, the way his mouth quirked upward when he was trying to hide a grin or how he would fall to floor when he laughed with all his might. She would never see or hear that smile or laugh again and it nearly brought Kushina to her knee's.

But as Kushina brought the eggs and ramen to cook her ears caught he sound of Naruto's soft snores from the other room. The sound steadied her, she knew she would have to deal with the loss of her husband and ten years of her life, and the person who had stolen with them would pay dearly for it, but for the moment Naruto needed her in the here and now and that was where she would be. She remembered the day before when they had taken him to Ichiraku Ramen and had her first meal with her son.

**Flashback**

The Hokage and Kushina walked up to Ichiraku Ramen with Naruto in her arms. She had refused to set the boy down to walk on his own and had carried him the entire way even though the hokage could see the strain on her face and cautioned her not to overdo it.

"Kushina, you need to be more careful. Even though the medics were able to help restore a lot of muscle tissue you're still terribly weak and probably should be in the hospital resting. So please don't over exert yourself," Hiruzen told her as they arrived at the ramen stand.

"I know but this was more important," Kushina told him as she watched Naruto climb into the seat and waved at the old chef and his daughter who smiled and looked genuinely happy to see the boy.

Kushina remembered the old chef and his daughter from when she and Minato had dated. The chef had been younger then and his daughter merely 3 or 4 years old at the time but they had always been so kind to them. Kushina had found the stand when it was brand new and it had become her second home. She was not surprised that Naruto seemed as well at home here as she had.

Naruto was pointing to his mother and the hokage and speaking excitedly to the old chef and his daughter who both had looks of shock on their faces at the boy's words before breaking into tight smiles.

_If this is some imposter I'll string them up by their toes,_ the chef thought to himself, _No one should mess with the boy like this, he gets enough from this village!_

While the old chef was contemplating the murder of the woman who claimed to be Naruto's mother the Hokage and Kushina were having a quiet conversation just out of sight behind the blinds of the ramen stand.

"Those are two of the people you mentioned you have always treated Naruto well?" Kushina asked in a low voice.

Hiruzen nodded, "Yes, the way I understand it, they've always been very kind to Naruto and looked out for him."

Kushina proceeded into the tent and smiled at the old chef who lost all thoughts of murder immediately as he recognized Kushina Uzumaki. With her deep red hair and emerald green eyes there was no one else in the village that could resemble her. And when she smiled it just cemented who she was in their minds. The old chef nearly fainted from the sight of the woman he had thought was dead.

"It's been too long Teuchi, and it's nice to see you again Ayame, you've grown into a lovely young woman. Thank you both for looking after my son for all these years I've been away," Kushina told them with a smile even as she felt a small jab in her heart as she was again reminded of her lost time with Naruto. She took a seat beside her son placing a hand around his shoulder and smiled lovingly at him.

"K-K-Kushi-ina U-Uzu-umaki! My god your back! Thank Kami!" The old chef said as tears appeared in his eyes, "It's so good to see you! Where have you been, you're so thin, are you sure you're ok? Well we'll get you fed up immediately!" the old chef stated causing Kushina to giggle.

The chef had already come around the counter and given Kushina a tight hug and smiled at the child next to her.

"I'll explain everything later but right now I'd like to simply have lunch with my son and our family friend," she told him gesturing to the hokage who had seated himself on the opposite side of Naruto.

Teuchi nodded to Kushina as stars shown in his eyes, "I'm so glad your back, this boy has been keeping my business afloat but with you here as well we'll be certain to be rich!"

Everyone burst out in laughter at the statement as the hokage thought it was probably true knowing the two ramen addicts.

The old chef put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and looked at the boy, "I'm glad your mother has returned Naruto, now you be good to her and treat her with respect and the wonderful woman she is understand?"

Naruto looked at the chef with a serious face, "Of course, it's the best gift in my entire life and I won't even want her to leave so I'm going to be very good!"

The old chef smiled at the boy as he returned to his kitchen and immediately went to work providing the best ramen they could cook and even gave it all on the house. Naruto had proven he had inherited her love for Ramen and she had smiled as the boy downed nearly six bowls without stopping.

**End Flashback**

Kushina smiled as she remembered the day before and that evening as well. She and Naruto had walked along the streets with him holding her hand and he had told her about the things he liked and smiled so brightly at her. The Hokage had insisted she be checked again by the medics before allowing her to return home and had escorted her there himself and made sure that she was given clearance to leave before returning to his office.

Secretly he also had assigned a specific ANBU to watch over the family now that Kushina had returned. He knew that no one would ever harm the two as long as Kakashi Hatake was watching over them and that Kakashi would give his life to protect them now that he knew who Naruto was thanks to Kushina's return.

**Flashback**

Kakashi arrived as instructed by the hokage and bowed to the old man. It was late but he didn't sleep much anymore. The toll of losing his sensei on top of everyone else in his life had taken much out of the man and even after 10 years he still had trouble sleeping through the night. Some people said he had lost his heart with the loss of the people precious to him.

"Ahhh Kakashi, good to see you, I have a special assignment for you," the old man told the ANBU before him.

Kakashi nodded rather than speaking and waited for his instructions.

"I am assuming you heard about the woman who came to my office yesterday?" When Kakashi nodded the hokage continued, "I am assigning you to protect her and her son. This is considered a Class-A mission and will be your full time job from now on."

Kakashi stood stunned for a moment before finally speaking, "Lord Hokage, no offense intended, but who could possible garner such protection and such a high ranking mission?"

"The woman was your sensei's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, we thought her dead for many years before she suddenly arrived yesterday, most people didn't recognize her because of her condition. I have already sent several ANBU teams to attend to the matter as soon as she arrived and I realized who she was. Those responsible for her captivity will be brought to the most painful death imaginable. Her son is Naruto Uzumaki, as you probably already guessed. I am assigning this mission to you because of your outstanding record. You may use any means possible to protect them and may make contact with the family if you wish.

"Kakashi, you know that once word gets out, and it will if I know Kushina, your sensei's old enemies will be after Naruto and Kushina with a vengeance not to mention the individual who held Kushina for so long. Until Kushina has completely recovered and Naruto is old enough and trained enough to take care of himself your job will be to act as a body guard for the family."

Kakashi was stunned for a moment and couldn't move as he felt his heart beat several times. He had not known his heart was capable of still beating like that after all this time. Kakashi had thought he had lost the ability to feel such a thing as joy or remorse due to his time in ANBU and the loss of everyone precious to him.

Tears began to slip down his eyes as he realized his sensei had left him a legacy to help guard, _I will protect them sensei, I swear it to you._

"I will accept, no one shall harm Kushina or Naruto under my watch Lord Hokage. If I may request… I would also like to be one of the ones who help's execute the traitor who committed such an act on Kushina," Kakashi said as an edge of steal entered his voice promising all forms of nasty techniques to ensure maximum pain before death.

"We shall see about that Kakashi, you'll have to get in line after Kushina and myself first though," the hokage chuckled darkly as he had his own sadistic ideas of how to deal with Danzo.

**End Flashback**

As evening settled they had returned to Naruto's apartment where the boy had wanted to show her some of his prized possession. While it did not surprise her that the apartment was a complete mess she was shocked to find that Naruto's few prized possessions consisted of a small blue blanket, the one he was wrapped in at the hospital the night he was born, a small stuff toad which looked heavily worn but cared for, and a pair of goggles he said were from a secret admirer who would sometimes leaving encouraging notes.

Kushina wondered at the secret admirer but had an idea of who it might be as she remembered the small black and blue haired girl who had been watching her son. It was obvious that at least one person in his class had cared for him even if she was unable to say so because of her shyness.

_I'm going to have to ask the Hokage about her later,_ Kushina thought to herself, _I won't let my son act like his father and waste years they could be together if the girl loves him!_

Kushina had surveyed the apartment and noticed that, while a mess, it looked to be in decent shape but she didn't understand why he only seemed to have ramen in his cupboard and some rice. Although he had some eggs and bacon in his refrigerator as well as a gallon of old milk. Naruto had been rather embarrassed to tell her he was unable to purchase anything else because the prices were too high for him and Kushina was reminded how the villagers had treated her son and how they had completely ignored Minato's wishes.

She had felt the anger at the village well up inside her and released a massive amount of killing intent towards them until she realized it was scaring Naruto and stopped. In fact it had scared most of the village as well, she was not known as the 'Crimson Death' without good reason. She had hugged him and promised that things were going to change and that he would never be alone.

**Flashback**

Naruto clung the woman in front of him, his mother. He still couldn't believe she was there before him but the old man had said she was his mother!

"It'll be alright now Naruto, I'm here and I won't ever let you be alone again. I promise things are going to change for the better. I love you Naruto, I've loved you since before you were born and your father loved you as well. I wish he was here with us so much, he would never have allowed the village to treat you like this," Kushina told him as she hugged her son tightly.

"M-mom, who was my dad?" Naruto asked her quietly. He had wanted to know the answer to that question for so long and he was almost afraid to ask her and he had spent the day building up the courage to finally ask since he wasn't sure he wanted to know. He had always hoped his father was a great ninja hero and would come back to him some day to train him and be with him. But those dreams had mostly been crushed by the comments of the villagers.

"Your mom and dad didn't want you, they left you behind cause you're worthless trash!" they had told him, "Your parents didn't care about you so they left you to plague us," was another common statement when he had asked. Naruto had cried himself to sleep many times because of the scathing comments about his parents.

Kushina saw the emotional scars on her son as he asked the question and she knew she should have told him before now but had been too busy dealing with her own issues during the day. She was kicking herself for not telling him earlier.

"Naruto, your father was my soul mate, the light in my life, and the kindest man in the world. He loved you dearly my son, and he wanted you to be safe so he gave his life to make sure that would happen. His name was Minato Namikaze, he was the fourth hokage," she had told him only to hear the gasp and feel his tears press down onto her shoulder as he cried.

Naruto had clung to the words of his mother, _The Fourth Hokage was my dad!_ He thought to himself and suddenly felt bad for the times he had painted over his face as pranks. Tears began to fall down his face as he felt relief wash over him knowing that his dad had loved him and wanted him to be safe and happy.

At first she was alarmed by his tears and then realized he was happy. She never thought about how hard it must have been to not known who his parents were or if they even cared for him. She could only imagine the comments the villagers had said to her son about his father and her. The third had told her he had suppressed the information to keep Naruto safe. She had agreed with the decision but was glad she could tell him the truth and finally let him know who he was.

**End Flashback**

Naruto had fallen asleep shortly after that and she had carried him to bed. She had fallen asleep soon after that herself with Naruto still clinging to her. She had woken this morning before dawn and quietly slipped out of bed to cook breakfast. With the hokage's permission Naruto was going to miss a week of school since the pair needed some time together.

She heard the door open from Naruto's room as he came out, she had practically drooled at how cute he was when she saw him in his hippo pajama's. She smiled at him brightly with her entire heart in her gaze.

"Good Morning my precious boy, how did you sleep?" she asked him as she made the final preparations with the meal.

Naruto's eyes widened at her and he started to cry, tears streaming down his face as he responded, "Y-You're really here, i-it w-wasn't a d-dream!"

Naruto had awoken expecting to see his empty kitchen again, he had thought finding his mother was just another dream. A good dream, but a dream, and when he saw her standing before him he simply broke down at the joy flooding his entire being.

_She's real! She didn't leave me! She's here!_ He thought to himself.

And with that he launched himself to her and she was only barely able to move in time to catch him as he hugged her tightly. She was so shocked it took her a moment to realize he must have thought the day before was a dream and he had probably had that same dream many times before. She was saddened for a moment at the reminder again that she had 10 years of her life with him taken away.

_I will kill you myself for this Danzo, slowly filleted over an extra large skillet,_ she thought to herself as she comforted her son.

"No honey, it wasn't a dream, I'm here to stay and I love you dearly and I won't ever leave you again," she told him in a soothing tone as he held her tightly as if afraid if he let her go she might disappear.

Finally he let her go long enough to sit at the table where she brought two plates loaded with her special breakfast ramen. Naruto stared at the meal before him, the steam rising from the hot meal of fried rice, ramen noodles, eggs, and bacon all mixed together and he started to cry again as he looked at the plate.

"Is something wrong Naru?" Kushina asked her son as she saw the tears and was concerned.

"N-No M-mom, it's just, this is m-my first h-home c-cooked meal and I, uh, I-I'm just h-happy," he told her as the tears continued and she suddenly understood why he was crying.

Naruto had spent so much of his life completely alone that finally having his mother back and having her cook breakfast like a normal mother, something that all the other kids in his class took for granted, was something he had dreamed of ever since he could remember. She smiled and a few tears came down her cheeks as well and moved closer to him and put an arm around her son and kissed his head.

"Well, you better eat it before it gets cold don't you think Naru?" she told him.

Naruto suddenly got a terrified look on his face that he was letting the first breakfast his mother had ever cooked get cold. She was so worried he wouldn't like her cooking and was watching him as his mouth surrounded the fork and he swallowed the food. Every fiber of her being was focused on this one moment.

_Please let him like it! Please let him like it!_ Kushina thought to herself as nervous butterfly's found themselves in her stomach,

Suddenly Naruto's face split in the biggest smile he had ever had before. "It's the best breakfast I've ever tasted mom! Thank You!" He told her and began to dig in.

Kushina could only smile at her son as relief flooded her. He liked her cooking! Her son liked her cooking! She couldn't contain the happiness as she smiled brightly as she watched him dig into his food.

_Minato, he is so much like you with that smile that reminds me of the sun itself but he has my terrible table manners,_ Kushina thought to herself with a giggle as she began to eat her own meal.

As breakfast wound down Kushina told him he would not be going to the academy for the rest of the week and Naruto jumped in the air with a fist and "YAY!"

Kushina chuckled and shook her head, "The _reason_ you're not going to the academy is because we have to take care of a few family things Naru. We need to move into our family home, deal with the resurrection of our clan, and I need to spend some time training with you as well."

Naruto looked like he had been given every Christmas gift imaginable for the next century by the smile on his face, "We have a family home? And a Clan? And I get to train with you mom? YAYAYAYAY! Are we going to be called Namikaze's now?" He said he jumped up and down in his seat in excitement.

Kushina laughed at his antics, "Well, it's not quite as easy as that. I'm still very weak after everything that has happened and I need to get my strength back. And while the Uzumaki clan was very powerful back in the whirlpool country it has since been destroyed when the whirlpool country was annexed. Your father's clan was well known and respected here in the village, we were waiting for you to be born before making our marriage official and for me to take his last name with the war finally ending. We both agreed that your father's enemies might try and attack me while I was pregnant. But I don't see any reason for us not to take his last name, I think your father would want us to."

_We won't hide ourselves anymore Minato, everyone will know who your son is and that I was the woman who finally caught the yellow flash_, she thought to herself.

Kakashi watched the entire scene from the window and smiled under his mask, he had been watching the pair since late last night and had slept outside their home even. It was Kushina alright, he would never forget that energetic and brash red head that his sensei had gone to goo over.

He was curious about the boy, _Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze huh? I wonder if you'll take after your dad _, he thought to himself.

While Kakashi contemplated the boy and his mother he followed them as they made their way to the hokage tower quietly out of sight. He hadn't made his presence known yet and was unsure whether he should or not. Part of him wanted too but he figured he'd wait a bit and let them have some time alone first, after seeing them interact he knew they both needed some time together but he also wanted to help train the boy.

Kushina walked into the tower like she owned the place, even as thin as she was, a few good meals had done wonders for her sagging energy levels and she made a mental note to remember to thank the medic's again for their work to help restore her lost muscle mass. Naruto was wearing his usual orange jump suit and Kushina was wearing the black pants and white shirt along with the black jacket from the day before. The secretary saw her coming and opened the door simply informing her that she was expected.

Kushina entered into the office with Naruto who smiled and immediately said, "Hey Old Man!"

Upon entering the office Kushina was assaulted by the expectancy of seeing Minato behind the desk. She saw him there a moment smiling at her before the image was replaced by the old visage of the third hokage. She shook her head as she focused on the present.

Kushina sighed, "Sorry Lord Hokage, Naruto you need to be more respectful." she admonished him slightly but her smile and eyes told him she approved of his nickname.

The old hokage was seated behind his desk and merely smiled and chuckled at the two of them, "I highly doubt even if you do manage to teach him proper manners he would ever call me anything else. After all, he is your and Minato's son."

"You're probably right," Kushina told him with a grin.

Before Kushina could say anything the old man took out several scrolls with what looked to have blood seals on them to Kushina. She raised an eyebrow and he smiled again.

"I knew you'd be coming by so I took the liberty of gathering the scrolls with everything Minato left you and Naruto. Naruto was to receive them on his 16th birthday but since your back I knew you'd want them. Inside are the keys to the Namikaze estate where you both had been living as well as several scrolls explaining the jutsu of the Namikaze clan and Minato's own techniques and I believe personal messages for both you and Naruto," the old man told her as he motioned for her to take the scrolls before her.

"Kushina, please be careful, I know you want to get back into training and good shape quickly but don't overdo things like you did when you were younger. You're body needs rest and time to regain its strength," the old hokage reminded her as she took the scrolls and placed them into a bag she had brought.

Before Kushina could respond Naruto jumped in, "I'll make sure she stays safe old man! I won't lose her now that I finally found her! Believe it!" he told him and both mother and hokage smiled at the boy.

"Lord Hokage, I intend to take my husband's name for both myself and my son now that I've returned. I don't want us hiding anymore," she told him with the same fiery challenge which she always seemed to have about her.

The Hokage sighed, "I figured you would do something like that. I'd rather you didn't until you were stronger and Naruto was a bit older though but then I doubt that would change your mind would it?"

Kushina shook her head, she was adamant, "No more hiding who we are old man. I want this village to know who we are and to make them regret the way they've treated my family and Minato's wishes. We gave everything for this village and they have returned our good faith with anger and mistreatment. I want everyone who ever treated my Naru badly to know that he was the son of their greatest hero so they can lie awake at night from guilt."

Kushina's impassioned speech would have gone over much better with the hokage if she wasn't still thin as a rail but he knew he couldn't stop her so he would have to make arrangements to help her.

"Subtle as always eh Kushina? There is nothing stopping you since the marriage and birth of Naruto were both well recorded, although kept secret at the time," he informed her.

"I don't think Minato would want us hiding ourselves anymore. In all honesty, it didn't work out well the first time and I am sure we'll have enough protect soon." she told him with a grin that said she had planned this out, before turning to her son, "Naruto could you step out into the waiting area for a moment so I can have a word alone with the hokage please?" she asked her son who nodded and left the office after he hugged her and she promised she wouldn't leave him. He was still rather worried she might disappear if he let her out of his sight.

Once the door was closed Kushina took a deep breath and opened her eyes which now radiated an inner fire the hokage hadn't seen in years. She also began to release a large amount of killing intent and her voice got very quiet and deadly, "I also want you to get word to Jiraiya and Tsunade, I want them back in Konoha immediately. They both have a lot of questions to answer and it will be a very long discussion for them and if I can get my hands on Kakashi I'll give him a good thrashing as well."

The hokage thought a moment,_ Jiraiya and Tsunade would both return immediately if they were told Kushina was still alive and I bet she is counting on that to provide her family the added protection, smart move using my own students as bodyguards without their even knowing it._

Kakashi, who was sitting outside the window listening to the conversation suddenly felt himself begin to sweat. He had seen how his sensei had gotten beaten several times by Kushina and knew how tough the woman was.

_I think I'll wait until she's done with Jiraiya and Tsunade before I introduce myself, or maybe I should introduce myself today while she's still weak and can't hurt me as badly, yes, that's a much better idea! _ Kakashi thought to himself as he watched the red headed woman go off about how Jiraiya and Tsunade should have been there to watch over her Naruto. They were his godparents after all and she was terribly hurt and angry they hadn't taken her son in.

The old hokage paled slightly at the woman's anger and description of what she had planned for his former students, justified as it was, and nodded through most of it before she finally calmed down and sat on a chair in his office.

_At least nothing is broken… I guess I should be thankful for small mercies,_ he thought to himself.

"I'll send for them at once of course, I can't imagine they'll turn down a summons that says you're back and want to see them immediately," he told her to placate the red head in front of him.

Kushina nodded to him and smiled sweetly, "Thank you lord hokage and more than that, thank you for everything. I know you watched out for Naruto as much as you could through the years. That means a lot to me."

"I like to think of Naruto as my own grandchild Kushina. I think Minato would have been disappointed in me if I had not done everything in my power. Please don't be too hard on Jiraiya, I saw him after what happened and I've never seen a man more broken than that. Tsunade wasn't much better. I'm not excusing them for not being there but just don't be too hard on them k?" the old hokage told her as he remembered how his former students had reacted to the loss of Minato and Kushina's disappearance.

Jiraiya had locked himself in his apartment for nearly two months and he had finally had to break the door down to find the toad sage a mess. He hadn't showered since Minato's death, hadn't eaten, slept or anything and Hiruzen had been forced to drag him to the hospital to force feed him as he had been starving himself to near death. Jiraiya had blamed himself for both Kushina and Minato's death, he tried to convince the man to allow him to perform the seal but Minato had adamantly refused claiming it was his responsibility. When Kushina had disappeared he had blamed himself for not watching over her himself. The hokage was fairly certain the Jiraiya had left to try and run from the reminders of what he considered his past failures.

Tsunade had not been much better. She had liked Minato a lot and Kushina was like a daughter to the woman. Minato had been the one to bring Tsunade back from her drunken stupor after Dan's death. After she had learned they were both gone she felt she had failed again to save people close to her and it had sent her back to the sake and gambling and she took had fled the reminders in the village of what she considered her failure save her precious people.

Neither of them would have been able to care for Naruto in their mental states.

Kushina nodded her head, "I'll try and remember that lord hokage. One other thing, the other day when you pointed out that girl watching Naruto, who was she?"

The old man raised an eyebrow and grinned at her, "That was Hinata Hyuga, Hiashi's first born daughter and heiress to the Hyuga clan. From what I've heard she's got a bit of a crush on your boy there. Of course he has no clue and she's incredibly shy for a Hyuga. Very sweet girl, quiet, caring, very kind considering most Hyuga are cold and rather emotionless," he told her in an off-handed manner.

Kushina grinned at him, "Thanks, she sounds like a very nice girl, maybe I should see about setting up a play date with Hiashi," she thought out loud.

"Thank you again for everything Lord Hokage," she told him bowing.

The hokage said he would have Naruto's things at his apartment moved to the Namikaze estate for them in the next few days and that he had made sure the estate was sealed so all of her and Minato's things would still be there. Kushina thanked him and they both rose to say good-bye when Kushina surprisingly hugged the old man with all the strength she had before she walked out his office and collected Naruto. Naruto smiled and jumped off the couch and ran to his mother.

"It's time to go home Naruto," she told and he smiled brightly at her.


	3. Action and Knowledge

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associate to Naruto.

Authors Note: I am sorry for being gone for so long but as I put in my update under my bio this summer has been extremely busy due to family obligations and my new relationship status. This is the first update I've done since the beginning of the summer and I intend for more to follow again soon. Thank you all for being patient and I hope it was worth the wait!

On a side note, I will be incorporating some of the most recent manga issues into this story and I have some very interesting things planned which I think you all will like. Please be kind with this update as it has been a few months since I have written and I might be a tad rusty. I appreciate constructive criticism greatly. Also I am looking at getting a beta for this story since it's received so much interest so quickly and my first interest is always quality.

**Chapter 3: Action and Knowledge **

**Deep Beneath Konoha 15 hours prior**

A sole shinobi kneeled before his leader. The shadows of the room stood entirely still as he gave his report. The coldness of the room seemed to reflect the demeanor of the occupants. The shinobi wore form fitting black ANBU gear and his mask carried no markings on it. His mask was white, he had not earned the right to be anything but a tool. He was not even worth having a name in the eyes of his leader. His eyes never strayed from the ground before him as his emotionless voice continued in a neutral tone, his breathing and pulse never changing.

"Lord Danzo, we have confirmed the report given, Kushina has been found alive and was missing from her cell in block 18-C. Team 19 was dispatched 18 hours after it appears Kushina managed her escape. It is still unclear how she managed to overcome the comatose drugs and we were unaware due to the lockdown on information by the Hokage as reports described the woman as have brown hair and yellowed eyes along with being too thin to be certain it was a woman or man. Once it was confirmed it was Kushina Uzumaki team 19 was dispatched to obtain information and, if possible, re-acquire the target but she is now well guarded. I apologize for the delay in obtaining this information Lord Danzo. The target was well guarded and we were only recently able to get close enough to confirm her identity."

Danzo's face remained unchanged, his body never moved and it seemed he did not even blink at the news. Nothing fazed Danzo, his heart and soul seemed to be made of stone and ice seemed to flow through his veins. His mind began to move swiftly at the thought of the implications involved in Kushina's escape.

"Destroy the entrance and perform sweeps through the entire base. I want an advance team sent to ROOT Beta to prepare the location in the event our base here is compromised. Also bring down the block surrounding that entrance so even if they breach the entrance they won't find anything. Go."

"Hai!" the ninja responded and vanished leaving Danzo in the dark and now silent room.

**Present Day: In a large casino many miles away…**

Tsunade Senju slammed her hands down on the table in front of her. Today wasn't going at all the way she had planned! She had been at the poker table for almost an hour and had already lost almost all her money. The Slug Princess of Konoha glared at the smirks on the other players and rolled up her sleeves before putting all of her remaining money on the table for one final hand before looking for store credit.

The other plays chuckled, the legendary sucker was living up to her reputation so they decided to indulge her and added their own payouts to the pile. Shizune, Tsunades loyal apprentice frowned and sighed as the pig in her arms drooped visibly at her master's actions.

"Um, Lady Tsunade, don't you think you should save some of that," Shizune asked her sensei.

With a shrug Tsunade grinned, "Go big or go home! Or find more credit!"

A chill suddenly found its way down Tsunade spine and an intense feeling of dread entered her mind.

_Something is coming and I'm not going to like it_… she thought to herself.

Shrugging off the feeling she refocused her mind on the game as she suddenly found herself holding a full house, "HAHA! I WIN! WHOSE THE SUCKER NOW!" She screamed pumping a fist into the air before suddenly stopping.

Tsunade slowly turned and looked at her apprentice with a look of absolute dread, "Shizune! Get the bags, we're leaving immediately!"

With a quick and understanding nod Shizune left to comply immediately with her sensei's wishes as Tsunade rushed to cash out her winnings.

**At a large hot spring in the earth country…**

Hot springs are wonderful natural pockets of hot water which many villages have found useful for bathing and relaxing. The natural minerals were good for the skin and the steam provided a great release after a long day of hard work. Men and women alike would flock to the hot springs to simply soak and enjoy themselves as they felt their tired and sore muscles relax under the ministrations of the warm water.

For one white haired sannin though they presented an alternative form of recreation. Jiraiya, the great toad sage, found himself amidst his favorite hobby sitting in a high tree near a well filled hot spring. The hot spring was filled with over a dozen young women who had come to soak for the evening before returning home.

Giggling like a school girl the toad sage was busy writing notes into his book as he took in the female shape before him. As he busily wrote he was suddenly stopped as a powerful sneeze overtook him. A feeling of intense dread entered the man's senses and he frowned to himself.

_I haven't had a feeling like this since Orochimaru ran off…_ he thought to himself before realizing the sneeze had given away his position to the women he had been 'researching'.

**In Konoha**

Naruto made his way through the crowd of people before him. His hand was safely in the grip of his mother's and he couldn't help but continue to stare at her. Everything felt different now to the young boy. Something he couldn't place his finger on felt very right.

As the pair made their way through the throng of people Naruto couldn't help but notice the expressions on their faces. They seemed shocked at his mom, like they knew her but were surprised to see her, and several paled as if they were seeing a ghost of the past. When their gazes fell on him they seemed too stunned at his presence at her side to even give their usual glares and curses. Some even looked to be slightly afraid of her!

Kushina took the most direct route back to the small apartment to avoid as many people as possible. As Naruto entered the apartment she dumped the scrolls on the table and swept him up in a hug with a smile.

"My little Naru, everything is going to be so much better now but we need to talk about some things first ok?" she told him in a serious tone as her green eyes locked onto his blue ones.

Naruto had little experience with mothers but from what he had heard he was supposed to pay attention to them and listen carefully. Not having a family or a mother before Naruto was trying hard to remember what his friends said about theirs and the way he was supposed to behave. He still held some fear that if he was bad she might disappear suddenly and leave him alone again.

Kushina looked into her son's eyes and made sure he was listening very carefully before continuing, "Ok, we're going to be moving out of your apartment and into the house that your father and I lived in. The Hokage is going to send some people over to help us transport everything. We probably won't move for another day or two but you need to understand some things that are very important. I know this might be hard for you to understand but I don't want to hide the truth from you either. Your father and I made some very powerful enemies when we were younger and many of them are still out there and would want to hurt us through you. That's why Lord Third never told you who we were, he was afraid if people knew they would attack before you could defend yourself."

Noting the lack of expression in her son at the idea of being attacked by people Kushina's eyes narrowed slightly, "Naruto, have you been attacked before?" she asked him.

Naruto's expression became filled with shame and his eyes dropped to the floor. He took several deep breaths and she could tell from his stance and body language he was trying to decide whether or not to answer the question.

"Naruto, it's ok, I'm here now and I promise I'll protect you, but I need to know if someone's tried to hurt you?" She told him a soft and comforting voice.

Taking another deep breath Kushina's son finally responded in a quiet voice, "Yes mom, I-it's happened before… usually near m-my birthday. I-I don't remember m-much from the e-early times, but p-people would throw stuff at me, garbage, r-rocks, sometimes a kunai or, um, shuriken. I'd get ch-chased a lot too and they would call me things like 'demon' and 'monster'. Sometimes they would break into my apartment. They would steal my things or destroy them and write things on the walls. I never understood why they did it! Did I do something wrong? I'm so glad you're here now mom!"

Nodding she gathered her son in her arms and held him close. She noticed his lack of tears immediately Kushina felt him tense for a moment before relaxing against her and wrapping his small arms around her and returning her hug. The memories of all the times he had run for his life or he had come home to find his door and windows broken and his apartment trashed assaulted the small boy. He had never had someone comfort him like Kushina did and it scared him at first before he accepted the warm embrace. She then felt the warm tears fall from his eyes as he let down his guard and cried into her comforting embrace.

_I can't believe what they've done to you my son, those bastards of a village will pay for this!_ Kushina thought to herself as she stoked the quiet embers of anger at the village inside her heart as she finally began to understand what her son had gone through.

After several minutes of holding her son she felt the embrace relax slightly and his tears slowed and she smiled comfortingly to him before standing.

"Everything is going to be alright from now on. No one will ever hurt you again so long as I am here my little Naru," she told him as she kissed her son on the cheek.

Kushina then turned toward the open window in the kitchen and mentally sighed to herself.

"Ok Kakashi, you might as well come on inside since I know you're there," she said in a loud voice toward the window.

Kakashi winced at the voice wondering how she had known he was there. Sheepishly he raised himself up and waved to the woman and child, "Uh, Hi Kushina, long time… it's good to see you…"

Kakashi didn't get any further as he felt a pan slam into his face and an angry mother standing before him.

"I might still be too weak to give you a good thrashing but trust me, you and I are going to have a very long talk very soon. Now get your rear inside here and use the door damn it!" she told him as she turned on her heel and returned in the room.

Grimacing at the thought of the future conversation to come Kakashi did as he was instructed and entered the small apartment through the doorway rather than the open window.

As he entered he was tossed a box, "Since you're here to protect us you'll also be helping us move some of the more important things so when I give you something you pack it, got it?" Kushina told the young silver haired Jonin.

"Uh, Kushina, how did you know I was there and it was me? I was told you were still rather weak and would need a lot of rehabilitation before even considering resuming ninja duties?" Kakashi asked carefully wondering how the woman had managed to sense him.

"There is no one else the third would trust to watch over Naruto and I and I grew up loving the man who trained you remember? I know all of your tricks Kakashi because Minato put all his heart into training you and I knew Minato's heart better than anyone. Naruto, this is Kakashi Hatake, he was a pupil of your father," she told her son as an introduction.

Naruto, for his part, had been staring at the strange man with wide eyes before breaking into a grin and waving, "Hi! It's nice to meet you finally, I know your voice though! It's the nice dog mask man that always looked out for me when people were mean to me," Naruto informed his mother who stopped for a moment.

"You looked out for my little Naruto Kakashi?" she asked him.

"Of course Kushina, I couldn't live with myself if I hadn't done everything I could for him," Kakashi responded with a smile under his mask, very grateful that the boy had remembered his ANBU mask from the times he had intervened with him and many civilians within Konoha.

Kakashi, in truth, had recognized his sensei's son early on. It was hard to miss the resemblance after all and had gone out of way several times to stop beatings and intervene with civilian and shinobi a like to keep the boy safe through the years. Kakashi did find it slightly upsetting that Naruto was so starved for comfort that he had remembered his voice from the times he had told the populace to leave him alone.

Sighing Kushina nodded, "You have my thanks, we'll still talk later, but it might not be as bad for you this time around as it will be for those two old students of the thirds," she told him with a deep edge to her voice giving no question to what she had in mind for the two sannin.

The packing proceeding quickly for Naruto, Kushina, and Kakashi as Naruto didn't have much to begin with. The few items Naruto treasured were already in a small box under the hidden floorboard. They were nearly finished when several genin showed up to move all of the boxes for the family.

"GOOD MORNING! MAY YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH SHINE BRIGHTLY!" The jonin in-charge yelled as he knocked on the door to the apartment.

Kushina's eyes shown brightly as Kakashi felt a shiver run down his spine at the voice. Naruto looked curiously at the newcomer who announced his way into his apartment so loudly.

"Gai! It is so good to see you again! How have you been?" Kushina greeted the man with a hug despite his horrible jumpsuit and leg warmers.

Naruto was not quite sure what to make of the tall man before him. He had black hair with a bowl cut and his eyebrows looked as if they might be alive and possible try to eat him. He wore a horrible green spandex jumpsuit which clashed terribly with his orange leg warmers and green vest. But his mother seemed to know the man and liked him so he figured he couldn't be that bad, despite his outward appearance.

"Kushina! I was in the Hokage Tower moments ago when I overheard these genin were being assigned to help you move! I was so happy to hear you were alive that I insisted on coming to help the genin here move you to your new home! I can't wait to get my own squad next year and finally be able to stoke the flames of youth in their young hearts! Is that your son? He looks like a fine lad whose flames of youth burn brightly as his mothers! Do you mind if I ask, who was the father? I bet it was Minato!" Gai told her as he gave her a wink and thumbs up with a smile so bright it hurt Naruto and Kakashi's eyes.

Kushina smiled at his antics and patted him on the shoulder, "I am sure you'll be a great sensei Gai. Just try not to overdo it ok? And Yes, this is my and Minato's son, Naruto. Naruto I'd like you to meet Maito Guy, one of the strongest jonin in Konoha and a good friend of mine and your fathers."

Naruto grinned at the green clad man, "Hi! Whats with your spandex and leg warmers and Why do you keep talking about the Flam-" Naruto began but was stopped by Kakashi's hand over his mouth and drastic motions not to ask anything about the 'Flames of Youth'.

Gai smiled again and noticed Kakashi for the first time and his entire demeanor seemed to go into shock, "ARGH! KAKASHI HAS BEATEN ME HERE TO HELP! Once again you prove why you are worthy to be my rival Kakashi! Since you beat me here I will run 1,000 laps around Konoha backwards on my hands!"

Kakashi grimaced and sighed, "hi gai…"

Naruto pulled on his mothers pants legs, "Um, mom, is he, um, sane?"

Kushina giggled at her son, "Yes Naru, Gai is very much sane and very very strong. He just overdoes things and is very excitable. But he is a good friend with a true and honest heart. He is also the best taijutsu user in the entire village so don't let his outward appearance or actions fool you."

"Since you have beaten me here to help my rival! I shall pack and move more boxes than you! It is a challenge and a contest and will put me at 37 wins to your 36! HAHAHA!" Gai said as he flashed another smile while Kakashi picked up another item for the box in his hands and simple glanced over his shoulder, "Huh? Did you say something Gai?"

"ARGH! Your too cool attitude will not win this contest for you!" Gai told him and began to speed throughout the apartment neatly packing everything in sight while everyone else, including the genin, stood by and watched in amazement at the green blur.

With Gai's speed and focus coupled with Naruto having few belongings of his own, the entire apartment was packed up in less than two hours and ready for transport to the mother and son's new home. At first Gai had insisted on carrying four times the load of everyone else but Kushina managed to convince him that the genin needed some kind of work to earn their salary to which Gai promptly agreed, much to the genin's disappointment.

**Hokage Tower**

As the small group made their way through the roads of Konoha in the early afternoon together the Third Hokage was listening to a report given by an unusual informant.

"Ok Jigjig, you and your team mapped the entire structure and are prepared?" the old man asked the leader of the team in front of him.

The third hokage listened to the report as he looked over the map laid out on his desk. If the map was any indication there were networks of tunnels, training areas, cell block housing, medical facilities, storage units, and a large number of previously unknown structures built directly beneath the entire village! They were buried deep underground and obviously had taken a lot of time to build but what shocked Hiruzen the most was that it spanned almost the entire length and width of the village.

"Yes Sir, we did as requested and entered the underground base through the doorway. The entrance was right where you said it was in the old wing of the hospital. My team proceeded to split up and we each mapped out a section of the underground facility. As the map indicates the structure beneath us is huge but it seems sparsely inhabited. We only found small sections actually used by people while other areas, unused right now, seemed to show prior use with varying states of unuse. It looks like whoever is down there moves frequently to different parts of the base, probably to help avoid detection," Jigjig responded to the hokage's question.

Jigjig, like most of his team, was a small monkey and stood only about a foot tall and his voice was a high pitched squeak. He had dark brown fur which lightened somewhat near his head and his tail was currently curled behind his back as he attempted to stand straighter to give the impression of greater height. As leader he wore a black vest around his torso and, like the other members of his squad, had a Konoha hitai-ate, his being placed around his waist.

Hiruzen nodded to the monkey, "I agree, and I am aware of who it is down there, although I did not expect his operations to be so extensive. Is your team prepared to move out and lead ANBU units to the targets?"

Jigjig gave an affirmative response and Hiruzen nodded. The ninja monkeys vanished to meet their respective ANBU teams.

_I never expected you to sink this low Danzo,_ Hiruzen thought to himself, _at one time I would have let our old bonds hold me back but I have seen where waiting and allowing a snake to live leads in life. I won't let it happen again!_

**Near the Namikaze Estate**

"It's obvious Naruto hasn't received near the level of training or help he needed and I plan to rectify that immediately. It is disgraceful the way the instructors at the academy have neglected my sons training! By the way, Kakashi, you will be moving in with us to provide protection and help both Naruto and I train," Kushina informed the jonin who promptly tripped and landed on his face.

"Your flames of youth are so strong lady Kushina! I! MAITO GAI! Shall pledge myself to helping you obtain your goal and offer my services in training both you in your recovery and your son in his goal to become a great shinobi!" Gai told her as he threw up the boxes, struck a pose with his thumb out, and then broke the pose in time to catch the boxes he had tossed into the air.

Kushina thanked Gai as Kakashi recovered from his fall and looked at her sheepishly.

"Uh, Kushina, I do have my own apartment. Why don't I just come by when you need help?" he told her thinking of his precious Icha Icha collection and not wanting to subject it to the risks of travel.

"It's only temporary, I already spoke to the Hokage about it and he agrees. Until I am back up to my full strength we need someone we can trust to help us and protect us. Once word gets out about Naruto's heritage and who my husband was his enemies will come for Naruto and I. I simply want you there for the next few months or until I get those two good for nothing godparents back here," Kushina explained as Kakashi nodded relieved that the arrangement would only be temporary and grateful for Jiraiya and Tsunade being the current focus of Kushina's wrath.

The group had left the main roads of Konoha nearly 15 minutes before and begun to walk through a rather quiet part of the town. The houses seemed older here and were larger than the genin and even the jonin were used too but they stood oddly silent.

Gai looked around in amazement, "I don't ever remember this section of Konoha and I've run through every inch of it on both my feet and my hands. Where are we?"

Kushina gave a small smile, "There are two sections of the city which almost no one visits anymore. The first is the Senju district which is locked and protected by special wood jutsu's and only Tsunade can enter without fear. The second is the Namikaze district which is where we are now. The Namikaze clan were geniuses with space and time jutsu's, as seen by my husband's Hirashin technique. One of the clans greatest achievements was to take their entire district and place a space and time jutsu on it which causes the entrance to the district to be hidden from sight. The district is only accessible to those of Namikaze blood or those who have a special key like the one I am carrying right now.

"The jutsu creates a bubble around the district itself, so it is still very much part of Konoha but if you were to walk into an entrance of the district you would simply walk through it, passing through the entire district with a single step. If you have a key or Namikaze blood you would activate a market in the jutsu which would let you enter."

Kakashi, Gai, Naruto and the genin looked on in wonder at the unknown district of konoha. The Namikaze were considered masters of space/time, signless jutsu's and some of the greatest seal masters in the world. The district was obviously very old and showed signs of being uninhabited for a long time. There were stores and houses everywhere, blacksmiths shops, grocery stores, weapons stores, mail stations, police stations, even a family library and hospital! Everything was covered with the Namikaze clan symbol , a bright flame pattern spiraling outward from the center in a brilliant flash of color.

Or it would have been a brilliant flash of color if the flags and clan symbols weren't faded to a dull brownish-grey from time and carried many holes and tears in them from the weather. The shops varied in construction from those of brick and mortar to wooden structures. The houses ranged from small apartment complexes with little space to the larger more ornate with columns and fields for yards. Yet they all showed the signs of the passage of time heavily. Several had collapsed roofs and carried dust which was inches thick. The houses were in better shape simply because they seemed to be constructed better than the shops. The library and hospital showed they had been carefully put away and sealed to avoid the damage of time.

Kushina's eyes glazed over and again she saw Minato with every turn. His smiling, confident face telling her how they would have a large family and how the district would one day again be filled with smiling faces as their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren brought life back to the Namikaze district. She had smiled and laughed at his enthusiasm, she missed that smile of his so much. She saw him standing there pointing to something and she began to walk toward him when Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder.

"There are a lot of ghosts in this place, are you sure you want to stay here Kushina?" Kakashi asked her quietly.

Kushina shook her head to clear it as the vision of Minato again faded from her sights and righted her course toward the main Namikaze house, "It would be what Minato would want and we are safest here. It's sad, at one time this district was open to the entire village to see and visit, much like the Senju and Uchiha districts, anyone could come and go as they pleased. But as the wars pressed in and their numbers dwindled from assassinations and being targeted by enemies from both outside and inside Konoha the Namikaze became paranoid and sealed away their home in hopes of providing themselves with at least some measure of safety. Sadly, it didn't stop them from nearly being wiped out during the second great war leaving only a handful remaining, mostly elders and a few children. Eventually only Minato was left."

Naruto had been in such awe at the sight of the district and listening to his mother that his mind simply couldn't process everything fast enough for him to also speak. He felt so excited to be somewhere that felt like home to him and with people who cared about him. The more they continued the more Naruto felt like he was in a dream world.

He had his own clan! His clan had a district! An entire district to themselves! He wanted to run everywhere and see everything but he restrained himself next to his mother carrying the bags full of his clothes.

"Mom, why did everyone hate the Namikaze so much?" Naruto asked her wondering why his father's, no, _his_ clan would be hated so much.

Kushina looked at her son and sighed, "The Namikaze were a very powerful clan, much like the Uzumaki were at one time. But power creates fear in others who either want to maintain their own power or take it for themselves. The other villages hated the Namikaze because they were so dangerous in battle while their fellow Konoha clans hated them because they were their rivals for prestige and power within the village."

Naruto nodded even though he did not really understand all of it and Kushina knew that. Politics was another subject she would have to teach her son. She sighed again at the thought of how far behind her son was in his education thanks to the academy professors. Another group of people she would have to add to her list to pay a visit with once she was fully recovered.

It took the group another half an hour of walking before they entered the main compound of the Namikaze clan. Calling the structure a house simply wouldn't do it justice, it was a mansion. There were several acres of what were once kept fields and trees and the house itself was three stories tall and obviously could fit a hundred people easily.

As the group looked at the structure Kushina spoke up again, "It was originally designed around the same concept as the Hyuuga compound where the family would live together but over the years only the clan leader's family ever truly had stayed there and the older sections have been demolished to save space. The Namikaze were never really conformists like the Hyuuga and the idea of every family living under one roof didn't work for them so they gave up on it early after their move to the village. So they didn't expand the main compound house and eventually shrunk it some," she explained to them.

As the group entered the grounds they saw how badly overgrown it was from nearly ten years of neglect. The trees had left enormous piles of leaves on the knee high grass and the flowers had long since been chocked by the weeds. Kushina was again assaulted by her memories of Minato and this place. He had brought her here for their one year anniversary and given her a key to the district. She even now saw him standing by the flowers which had long since died telling her his goal was to one day bring the jutsu surrounding the district down to once again allow his clan to be one with Konoha rather than hidden.

Kushina had to shake her head as they reached the doorway to the house, "Thanks you can leave the stuff there, Naruto, Kakashi, and I will get it the rest of the way," she informed them with a smile.

Gai nodded and the genin set down their packages and stood at ease while Kushina gave Gai a key to enter the compound for training each day with Naruto and herself in the morning and evenings.

As Gai ran the genin's back out toward the exit of the district Kushina hugged her son and whispered to him, "Welcome Home Naruto!"


	4. Sannins and Recovery

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters from the Naruto Mange.

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews and please keep them coming! I like constructive criticism because it helps me improve. Sorry for the delays in updates but I hope you enjoy Chapter 4!

**Chapter 4: Sannin's and Recovery**

**That Evening**

Danzo had always considered his ROOT to be the elite of the elite, silent, emotionless killers who obeyed his every command without question. Only a few ROOT were even allowed to have names or personal symbols and they were the oldest members of ROOT and proven themselves beyond any doubt of loyalty. All ROOT shinobi were trained from birth to be emotionless killers. They had no hearts, they had no emotions, and they had no doubts. Such things were considered weakness to ROOT and it was their lack of this baggage that made them the elite.

Danzo had always considered his old teammate weak and always believed _he_ should have been made Hokage, not Hiruzen! Under his rule Konoha would have ruled the other shinobi villages with an iron fist, they would have entered a golden age where the leaf would have crushed their opponents without mercy. But no, the Nidaime Hokage had chosen Hiruzen to be his successor and Danzo had been left with no choice but to found ROOT and when ROOT had been officially shut down years ago for what many considered 'inhuman training methods' Danzo had secretly continued the organization.

Danzo stood within the depths of his ROOT headquarters, it was the most secure location in the entire underground complex and with him were his two more trusted bodyguards. Danzo had believed his ROOT to be the elite of the elite, that Hiruzen Sarutobi was weak, and that no one but he had the will to do what was necessary for Konoha. Danzo was wrong.

Even now he heard the sounds of explosions as hundreds of Konoha ANBU were proceeding through his ROOT complex, killing his soldiers without regard. Anger crossed his features as he nodded to his bodyguards.

"Relay orders that all ROOT operatives are to fight to the last and to kill as many Konoha ANBU as possible. Tell the instructors to kill their students. And set off the bombs, I want the entire complex destroyed, leave nothing for the Hokage to find," Danzo told his guard wearing a mask of a wolf who nodded and relayed the orders.

_You may attack me, you may destroy this base, but you will get nothing from it Hiruzen. I thought this day might come and have planned for it. I will return one day and I _**will** _be Hokage, either by acceptance or by force._ Danzo thought to himself coldly as he nodded to his bodyguards.

Danzo pushed a small stone in the wall of his office. The stone sunk into the rock causing the wall to give way and slide backwards. Mechanisms behind the wall went to work and the wall slide noiselessly out of the way to reveal a tunnel leading away from Konoha. Once the three were through the wall returned to its former position and paper bombs surrounding the tunnel around the wall exploded destroying any indication of a tunnel behind the wall.

Danzo did not look back, nor did he mourn the loss of his troops, they were tools and this was merely a setback for the man. A major setback perhaps but nothing more than a setback, he would not be stopped no matter the cost.

**2 Hours Earlier**

Jigjig and his squad had broken up to meet the Konoha ANBU they were to lead. He was with Squad 4 which consisted of nearly 24 ANBU or 8 squads. There were nearly 300 ANBU involved in total and each was to take out a specific section of the complex. Jigjig had informed them of the bombs laid within the structure meant to bring the entire complex down should they not move quickly enough but that was not his concern.

"Ok, it's time, blow the door and move out!" Squad 4's leader called out. She wore a mask and standard ANBU gear with the only distinguishing feature being her long purple hair.

The squad set off the small paper bombs which opened the doorway to the underground lair of ROOT and entered. They moved swiftly and silently, having planned out what target each squad would take in advance. Three squads took off down a corridor to the right where there was little light to secure that sections power generator. Another three squads moved to a corridor on the left to hit an information center. The remaining two squads moved toward a cell block where trainee's were being kept.

They met light resistance at first, the only ones to respond were the guards who had been stationed at the children's cell block and they went down quickly before they realized they were under attack. The main ROOT forces had been initially called to deal with the other groups moved toward the more vital nerves points of the ROOT complex.

"Ok, secure the children and prepare them for transport. We need to make this quick before they realize several squads have broken off to recover the children. If they find out they will likely try and kill them rather than allow us to take them," the squad leader told the others.

They began to open the cell doors only to find something of nightmares. There were nearly 40 children here ranging from ages 2 to 8 years old and they all looked like starved statutes. Their bodies carried many deep scars and obviously untreated, open wounds. Several wounds were reddened and puss almost bubbled out of the torn flesh, clear signs of infection. Others looked to have broken bones which had not been repaired properly, if at all, causing joints or limbs to jut out in odd angels. Their bodies looked ready to fall down from exhaustion and malnutrition but they still stood there at rigid attention (if they could stand at all). But was the worst was their eyes. They were cold, emotionless, and dead. It was as if they had already expected death and accepted it without question. The ANBU realized what they were seeing, these were Danzo's rejects.

The ANBU pushed their emotions aside. The sight of these destroyed husks was too much even for their callused souls and it took great control to suppress the anger that rose in their hearts. Several thought of their own families and realized how lucky they were that Danzo had never been allowed to become Hokage. It served a gruesome reminder and warning of what a madman without morals would do if given a chance.

"Listen up, we're here to get you out of this place. You will follow us and be moved to a secure location outside of this complex. Should you threaten or attack us we will kill you without question. Please assist one another and move in an orderly fashion, do you understand?" The purple haired ANBU kept a tight rein on her emotions as she spoke to the children who responded with a single 'Hai!' and began to execute her orders.

The children moved like machines without thought. It was unnerving how silent they were. They were so broken, so mentally conditioned, that even being told they were being granted freedom had no impact on their minds. They merely followed orders without thought or will.

Elsewhere in the complex other ANBU unit wasn't having nearly such an easy time. They had encountered heavier resistance as they moved into the several laboratories and information centers. The laboratories were well lit, clean, and furnished with the most advanced equipment available. But there had been nearly a dozen ROOT members attempting to stop them from entering the location. The battle had been thankfully short but fierce. Once again the element of surprise had given the ANBU a much needed advantage and the ROOT had last half of their number in the initial assault and were quickly overwhelmed thereafter.

The scientists working in the labs were either captured or killed, depending on their choice. ANBU members cared little if they chose death after they viewed the labs and it was only straight control by their captains that kept the entire situations from becoming a mass murder and bloodbath.

Inside the laboratory they saw dozens of large tubes with what looked like children inside. Most of the tubes looked to be of deceased but a few were still lit from within. Heart monitors beeped steadily at brightly lit control consoles connected to these lit tubes. These children looked to be connected to feeding tubes and breathing apparatus. They were thankfully silent and didn't move, but that was almost eerier than if they had begged for release from their prisons.

They immediately began downloads of all the files in the system to be taken back to Intel headquarters. The, things, inside the tubes were monstrous creations of science. Many had extra eyes or limbs. Some had more than one head or gills or carried scales or tales. Looking at the dead creatures made even the ANBU's skin crawl and they focused on their work to leave the place as quickly as possible.

The green solution in which the bodies were kept added an eerie glow to the lab which was otherwise very clean and smelled of antiseptic. It was like walking into a modern lab inside the Research and Development department but one with no morals or qualms of human or child safety.

The same scene was repeated throughout the entire complex as a hundred ANBU squads entered from 10 different locations around the village and attacked the ROOT complex. ROOT lacked the numbers to hold against a foe with their forces spread so thin. And with the element of surprise on their side the ANBU units quickly decimated the initial ROOT forces. In short order ROOT began to retreat to protect the heart of their base when the orders finally came to hold their positions and die to the last.

And die the ROOT members did, by this time only the heart of the complex had been taken and it was too late to set off the final dead switch to bring down the complex. Several squads had located and cut the lines which would send the signal to the bombs in the other areas of the complex within the first five minutes of the initial assault. ROOT had never expected such a quick or deadly assault from the Konoha ANBU. Within three hours the entire fight was over and the remaining ROOT forces had been wiped out but Danzo had escaped.

**Hokage Tower 3 Hours 30 Minutes after ROOT Assault**

Several ANBU stood before the Hokage. It was late in the evening nearing one in the morning. The assault had taken place when their information said the guards would be nearing shift changes and be tired and more likely caught unaware. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, he looked and felt older this evening than he had in years. Each day it seemed his robes were looser, his burden heavier, and his body all the more exhausted. This night reminded him of many of the hard decision he had been forced to make over the years. The defection of Orochimaru, the slaughter of the Uchiha clan, the Kyubi attack, and now the fall of his old comrade Danzo. Smoke left his pipe as he listened carefully to the report from his ANBU.

"Sir, squads breached the entrance to the ROOT complex approximately 3 and a half hours ago. We met little resistance and were quickly able to kill their initial guards and secure 80% of primary targets and 60% of secondary targets before their response came within the first twenty minutes. We lost 6 squads in their counter-attack. As our information said ROOT itself was not very large and it seemed smaller than intel suggested. With their initial numbers already decreased from our first assault their remaining forces lacked the strength to repel us and were pushed back to the heart of their complex. They fought to the death there and only a few were captured. Most preformed a suicide jutsu before we could take them and those in custody are being kept unconscious until we can stop them from doing the same. Danzo was not among the dead. We believe he took a portion of ROOT forces and fled.

"We were able to recover 243 children ages ranging from 2-12 years and secured all medical data and information. Intel is currently working to decode the data now and the remaining ANBU forces are dismantling their systems as we speak. Once everything is clear we will bring down the complex one section at a time in a safe manner as ordered but it will take some time."

The Hokage before them nodded, "I want a full report on my desk by morning and make sure those children are kept safe and under secure watch. We don't know what Danzo may have done to them so until they have a full medical evaluation including a psychological exam by Inoichi I don't want them unguarded."

"Hai!" his ANBU responded before disappearing.

_I didn't expect you to go down easily Danzo but to think you were scalping the orphanages for children for your sadistic experiments is unthinkable,_ Hiruzen thought to himself as he rose to leave for his own home.

**Several Days Later**

On a road heading in the opposite direction of Konoha Tsunade Senju, Slug Princess and Sannin suddenly found herself staring at a small dark haired monkey wearing a fez.

The monkey removed his fez and bowed to the blonde woman before speaking.

"Tsunade Senju? Wow, you sure haven't changed much! I have a message for you from your sensei!" The chimp told her as he tossed a small scroll to the woman.

With a short bow the chimp vanished in a puff of smoke. Tsunade held the scroll a moment debating on whether to open the scroll or not before sighing in resignation. Whatever her sensei had that was so important as to send one of his summons to find her must be important. Biting her thumb she swiped a little blood on the seal to open the message. What she read made her drop the scroll in shock.

Shizune managed to catch her mentor before she fell to the ground as her legs gave out underneath her and drag her to the shade of a nearby tree.

"Tsunade! Ma'am what's wrong? What did the message say?" Shizune asked with concern evident in her voice.

Tsunade shook her head and took several deep breaths before responding, "Shizune, we have to… we have to go back to Konoha."

Shizune nearly fell over in shock, she never thought Tsunade would say those words. Wondering what could possibly be so important to as to draw her mentor back to her home village Shizune picked up the small scroll.

_Tsunade, _

_I hope this message reaches you soon and I will be short and to the point. You must return to Konoha immediately. Kushina Uzumaki, has suddenly reappeared. She has asked you to return immediately to aid in her physical recovery. I will explain everything when I see you._

_Hiruzen Sarutobi_

"Kushina Uzumaki? I thought she died in childbirth along with her son?" Shizune asked as Tsunade recovered enough to rise to her feet.

"I thought she did as well…" Tsunade told her before shaking her head, "And what is this about needing help for a 'physical recovery'? We need to make best time back to Konoha. I need to find out what is going on. Kushina was a dear friend. I thought both she and Minato died that night along with their son."

Shizune nodded to her mentor and turned her head back down the road they had just come from and sighing in resignation before following Tsunade who had taken off at full speed back toward the place she had moments ago been fleeing from.

**A Day Later in Sunagakure**

A small chimp wearing a green fez ran through the streets of the village looking for his target. The white haired sannin Jiraiya had been last said to be traveling toward Suna to meet a contact but had not been head from since. The chimp sighed again as he tried to find his target in the huge village and again wished he hadn't lost the game of rock, paper, scissors to go after Tsunade instead.

The chimp had already visited the local bars and casinos and even stopped for a peek into the brothel but had not seen Jiraiya any place. Suna was a large village, almost the same size as Konoha, but it was built completely differently. Unlike Konoha which in many cases seemed like a mixed match of different districts and clan compounds Suna was much more uniform. The entire village was built within a large valley caught between two mountain mesas. It made for a very defensible position with only one main entrance in and out of the village visible to outsiders.

The structures within were built mostly from sandstone reinforced with chakra and a special mortar paste they had created to strengthen the structures. The entire village was built around the idea of defense so every roof contained flat roofs with small aqueduct systems built into them to collect rain water and store it within the cities reservoir. If one were to look at the builds closely they would also notice they tended to rise higher and higher ever so slightly as they neared the Kazekage Tower in the center of the village. This was to give the home shinobi the advantage in height in battle should they be pushed back within the village.

Color wasn't a common sight in a village built of stone and sand mortar. Typically the only color to be found was inside the houses while the outside of the buildings were more normally a golden dust color which glowed during the sunrises and sunsets of the deserts. It gave an almost magically appearance to outside visitors who would stop and stare as the sun set the buildings ablaze in golden glory.

Unlike Konoha which was typically separated into districts and clan compounds Suna was built in a much more open manner. The clans typically had large clan houses rather than compounds and were much more connected to the populace. Where many of the clans of Konoha, such as the Hyuuga and Uchiha, would seal themselves away the Suna clans typically intermingled to a much greater degree. This was mostly caused by the necessity of being in a confined space rather than choice as many of the clans maintained their superiority, much like their Konoha cousins.

Currently the small chimp in the green fez was making his way on a side alley toward what was commonly seen as the Suna Bazaar's black market. After checking the usual places where Jiraiya would be found he decided the next place the sannin might be would be in the black market where he could gather information easily from the seedier elements of the great villages underground.

It didn't take long for the chimp to locate the so called Black Market. Sunagakure may be a great shinobi village but it was commonly understood that the Black Market provided them with a large supply of information and specialty items not commonly found in the main bazaar. Because of this many of the more powerful clan and civilian leadership considered it to be useful and, while not openly assisting, tended to turn a blind eye to their activities.

As the chimp entered the Black Market he was surprised to find what appeared, on the outside, to be nothing more than another section of the bazaar. He jumped along the tops of the stands and saw nothing out of the ordinary and was extremely confused. None of the merchants were selling anything strange or looked different. It wasn't until some hours later when he saw several masked men wearing dark colored robes appear from a cellar door from the back of a merchant's shop that he understood.

The Black Market was not found in the open street or inside any of the merchant shops but was in fact a large hollowed out cavern beneath the Bazaar section of Suna. The chimp quietly entered a shop and slipped into the door following a young man of obviously wealth inside the cavern. Once down in the depths of the Black Market it didn't take long for the chimp to locate his target.

The cavern was brightly lit with torches and glowing stones and merchants didn't speak to any but those who came to them. It was interesting to watch the exchanges taking place here. An interested party would walk to the merchant and, without a word, hand him a certain amount of Ryu. Once the merchant had the Ryu in hand they would nod and invite the interested party inside their shop. If the party chose not to buy anything they would leave, Ryu not in hand, as payment for seeing the merchandise and the risk of the merchant himself. If they chose to buy the item the already paid Ryu went toward the purchase. Everything was done with minimal talk and their discussions were conducted in separate rooms from the merchandise.

It was in one of these rooms where Jiraiya was currently located. He was speaking quietly to someone in a large dark blue robe who had a mask on to cover his or her face and a hood up to avoid giving away any features. If anyone were to look they would not be able tell even the gender of the man sitting with the toad sage. The chimp sighed to himself and waited for the sannin to complete whatever task he was about before delivering his message.

Many people only ever viewed Jiraiya as the super pervert he wanted them to see. What was underneath the guise of the pervert was something else entirely. Jiraiya was Konoha's Spy Master and he got the job not because of his connection to the third and fourth hokage's. He got it because he was extremely good at it. As the chimp observed Jiraiya spoke quietly, listened closely, and never once let his guard down. He never made a joke or perverted comment, he was all business here. His eyes and his movements were precise and his ears trained to listen not only to the robed man before him but also every noise around.

By the end of the conversation Jiraiya handed over a bag to the person who nodded after taking a look inside and giving him a scroll in exchange and silently disappeared through another door in the room. The chimp rushed to follow as the white haired sannin moved swiftly and almost undetectably through the underground. He seemed to pass through the shadows and light as if he was part of them. It didn't take long for Jiraiya to exit the Black Market and when the chimp exited he found himself grabbed by the back of the neck and pulled upward.

"Well my little friend, I know you have to be one of sensei's summons or else you wouldn't be following me with such poor skill. It's not safe to try and catch Jiraiya, the legendary sannin and toad sage, unaware! Now, why don't you tell me why you're following me huh?" The white haired old man grinned at the small monkey in his hand who looked as if he was about to have a heart attack.

Without a word he handed over the scroll to the old man who nodded his thanks and, after swiping a bit of blood over the seal, opened the scroll and read its contents. As he read the scroll Jiraiya's eyes went wide and his face began to pale. He looked for the chimp but he had already vanished in a soft poof of smoke. With a soft sigh Jiraiya decided sake was needed, and lots of it.

"I am in sooooo much trouble now…" Jiraiya said softly as he looked for the nearest bar.

**10 days after Kushina's Return**

Naruto had found his new home filled with wonder and beauty. The main house of the Namikaze clan had been built when their clan had first entered Konoha. It was built around the idea of symmetry and seals. The building was three stories high and held within it a huge reservoir of knowledge, history, and pride.

The build was a grey stone with marble floors in the hallways rather than wood. It had eight large pure marble columns out front on a large porch open toward the rising sun. The building was built in an odd shape. After asking why it wasn't square or rectangular Kushina explained to Naruto that the home itself was built in the shape of a symbol.

"It was a grand idea that the Namikaze clan had when they first moved here. They wanted to make their house also a seal which would grant it extra protection against intruders and cut down on upkeep. It was a massive undertaking and experimentation. They used stone rather than wood because it was easier to ground it and it was more permanent with less chance of bending or moving over time. They then laid chakra pathways through the marble and stone of the house almost like a chakra network. This network runs through the entire house and everything on the grounds including the gardens and monuments along the walls," Kushina had explained to him.

When Naruto had asked if they had been successful Kushina had explained the experiment was a partial success. After taking nearly a decade to complete the house maintained a complete chakra network that was self perpetuating through the energy within the ground. It meant that the stone and anything connected directly to the house, including painting, books, gardens, etc, would never fade or wear with time. The house itself would continuously regenerate itself. However, while the house could detect intruders, the defensive portion of their experiment had failed. They had hoped to make it so the house could produce massive genjutsu's and perhaps ninjutsu's at their command in case of emergency but none had been successful. Although the active defenses had never worked the clan found themselves in shock one day when the house was able to regenerate slowly after a portion had been struck by lightning from a storm. It was a slow process but the stone itself actually had rebuilt itself. This odd side effect had never been explained.

The first floor consisted of a massive kitchen, family library, a large bathing area and several training areas for the family. The second floor held family rooms complete with museums of clan artifacts and the main bedrooms for the permanent residents. The third floor was entirely taken up by dozens of guest rooms, such as the one where Kakashi was currently residing. The house was covered in seals, both seen and unseen, along with painting, banners, weapons, books, and odds and ends collected by the Namikaze clan over their history.

Kushina had taken the first four days to rest and gain much needed weight to her frame. Gai had come over the next morning and promptly told Kushina to eat. It was a surprisingly revelation to everyone that Gai was a gourmet chef! He explained that being a taijutsu specialist meant he had to watch his diet and since most of the restaurants in town could not provide the specialty diet he needed he had been forced to learn how to cook. And, being Gai, he had done it with his usual gusto and pushed himself to be the best chef he could.

While eating breakfast he had told Kushina that for the first few days he would be feeding her every three hours and spend the time between doing Yoga forms to restore her flexibility and small amount of tone while getting her weight back up. Gai explained that they would need to take her recovery very slowly and only once she had gained enough weight would she be able to start light workouts.

So it was that for the first four days Gai would stuff Kushina, Naruto, and Kakashi, who was forced to admit that Gai was a better chef than him, with delicious high protein meals every three hours then take Kushina to perform Yoga. He checked her weight and muscle mass every morning and evening to be sure she was gaining weight, which she did quickly thanks to Gai's special meal program.

After five days Gai had said they could begin doing very light workouts. Kushina would awaken one hour before the sun, drag Naruto out of bed, kicked Kakashi out of his bed and meet Gai and Kakashi at one of the families training fields. They then went through fifteen minutes of stretching, thirty minutes minutes of Yoga, half an hour of extremely light warm-ups, a short run, and proceeded to combat forms. Kushina realized her limitations quickly the first morning when she attempted the run against Gai's advice. She was exhausted after the initial run that had not even reached a quarter of a mile.

She had attempted to ignore the exhaustion and continue the run but Gai had stopped her. He reminded her that if she wasn't careful she could set her own recovery back by months and had her walk the remainder of the distance to complete only a single mile. Gai tended to be extremely strict with his patient and continued the regiment of three meals a day, although he altered them slightly to be a bit smaller and in line with the changes in the workout.

After the warm-up was done, usually as the sun was just cresting the hill, they began their morning workout. There was no sparring, except for between Kakashi and Gai once, and the entire morning tended to be devoted to forms. Kushina's body remembered the forms but its inactivity had sapped it the familiarity which all ninja required in order to survive. She was forced to concentrate on every move and force her limbs, fingers, and body to move properly. But even with the intense concentration she had Gai found many problems and quickly corrected her.

Gai was quick to correct issues in Kushina's forms as she attempted to slowly move from one to another, often having her start back at the beginning. In the afternoon Gai would make sure Kushina rested for at least two hours before taking her to the lake within the Namikaze District. Swimming, he told her, would help her regain muscle mass and tone very quickly and be the easiest on her body. So in the late afternoon Kushina would often be found doing odd exercises in the water under Gai's watchful eyes. Once that was finished they would break for dinner and relax from the day as Gai and Kakashi told stories to Naruto and brought Kushina up to date on what had been happening for the past ten years.

Naruto was another problem entirely. He was full of energy but it was obvious from the start he lacked any kind of proper training. Kakashi was the one who endured most of Naruto's banter. Kushina gave Kakashi vicious grins as Naruto followed the older shinobi around like a younger brother pestering him. Kakashi privately thought she planned this as part of her revenge for him not being more involved in Naruto's life.

Naruto had never been trained in combat forms properly from the start and had no style of his own. All three adults were appalled the first time he attempted to do the basic combat moves. Kakashi's mouth dropped and Gai nearly wept at the sight of such 'poorly kept flames of youth, barred so early by lack of instruction from reaching their phoenix zenith!'

Thus, Naruto wasn't allowed to do the forms yet and had spent the entire time working with either Gai or Kakashi in understanding the reasons behind the forms and how they worked with the muscles, tendons, bones, and the theory behind using different styles and techniques in fighting. He was even given a massive amount of reading and homework, much to his dismay which Kakashi, Gai, and Kushina were all forced to endure.

"But WHY can't I do the exercises yet?" Naruto asked again when Kakashi told him he would not be joining his mother or Gai to work on combat forms that morning.

Kakashi sighed, "Naruto, you know why, we've explained it several times before but let's try an example this time you might understand better, Ramen."

At the magic work Naruto perked up and Kakashi knew he had the boys full attention. They had quickly learned that if they gave an example using ramen or another of his favorite food Naruto would understand the concepts much quicker.

"Ok, what would happen if you tried to eat ramen raw? Would it taste good?" Kakashi asked the boy.

"Well, I've done it several times and it tastes ok I guess," Naruto responded.

"Ok, but what happens if you add hot water to the ramen, doesn't it taste better?" Kakashi asked again.

"Well, of course, ramen is always better if you let it have hot water," Naruto responded promptly.

"Good, now why is that?"

"Because the hot water makes the noodles soft and lets the seasoning soak into the water to make broth and coat the noodles," Naruto said as he felt his stomach begin to hunger.

Deciding that if he didn't wrap it up soon he might lose Naruto to dreams of ramen Kakashi began to explain the meaning behind the questions, "Now, the knowledge you're gaining is like that hot water. Without it you can fight, but you won't be nearly as good with it because it allows you to be seasoned, so to speak and gives your fighting ability a greater impact. Knowing where and how to throw a punch is just as important as the strength and speed. But every true shinobi understands the reason behind why you can throw that punch, what muscles are used and which tendons allow that movement. If you know that then you know also what muscles and tendons your opponent is using. Once you know this you can attack the weak points in the defense that much easier. Just like once the hot water is added the seasoning is spread over and incorporated into the noodles. Make sense?"

Naruto had giant ramen bowls in his eyes but nodded and sat down to take notes as Kakashi began to lecture about muscular and skeletal make up and use in basic shinobi combat forms. Kakashi had never been a very good teacher and, in truth, if it wasn't for the fact that Naruto and Kushina were his sensei's family he would never have been willing to even do this much. But he felt he owed it to his sensei and he had to admit that Kushina was pretty scary when she got angry.

What surprised him more than anything was Naruto. The boy had obviously never been trained properly and from the looks of it had been trained improperly on purpose. His movements were completely wrong and he left wide open gaps in his defenses. On the first day they had asked him about it and he had said his instructors at the academy had told him he was different and that those movements were correct for him. It had taken the combined might of Kakashi and Gai to stop Kushina from attacking the entire ninja academy.

Yet while Naruto had never been trained properly he quickly picked up the knowledge and absorbed it like a sponge under Kakashi and Gai's instructions. He wasn't afraid of hard work, in fact he seemed to thrive on it. He was very loud and whined a lot about the books he was required to read, having come to the conclusion they were boring, and the lack of actual physical combat but once he started on the subject and was receiving instruction he quieted up and listened attentively enough. Kakashi had only caught him napping in his lecture once, and even had had to admit it was a rather boring part that had almost put himself to sleep.

Kakashi began to realize that the boy's main problem in the academy was two-fold. First it was that his instructors had been improperly teaching him and second was that if he wasn't being taught improperly he was being ignored and trying to obtain attention by being a class clown.

Yet Naruto retained the information extremely well and learned very quickly. The concepts Kakashi was discussing with the boy weren't very advanced but the amount of information Naruto was absorbing was immense and then being able to process it and respond with such understanding was shocking. He would make leaps in questions and concepts before Kakashi could get to them and would ask questions with accuracy and insight which surprised the older shinobi of the child.

Kakashi mentally sighed and shook his head, if anything the kid might be a genius on the level with his father and the academy instructors had nearly destroyed him! Kakashi and Gai were both well aware of the difference between being the Kyuubi no Yoko's container and being the Kyuubi himself. But for many in the village that difference was lost on them. They merely combined the two and took out their anger on a small child.

Kakashi had seen it more times than he cared to admit, the small blonde boy running from a crowd carrying torches, knives, kunai, and sometimes even swords. Often he would have rocks thrown at him while just trying to walk to class. Kakashi had intervened multiple times on the boys' behalf and there were very few who wanted to fight the copy ninja, Sharingan Kakashi. But those times had been few and far between as Kakashi was often away on missions as either a jonin or ANBU captain. His sensei had always had a saying, 'There are no bad students, only bad teachers.' And it was a belief that Kakashi had carried with him whenever he was asked to take command or become a jonin sensei.

As Kakashi continued his lecture for Naruto and Gai worked with Kushina a pair of figures walked up to the gate of Konoha as the early morning sun leapt over the trees tops. One was a young woman in her late teens or with black hair and wearing a loose black kimono. The other was blonde woman with an extremely large chest who looked to be about 23 with a small diamond on her forehead. She wore green robes with a pale blue, sleeveless shirt underneath.

The guards noticed the pair immediately and, as they had been instructed to expect her, promptly sent a messenger to inform the Hokage of her arrival. They stood as she entered the building and bowed slightly the slug princess of Konoha. A squad of ANBU appeared and the captain spoke to the duo.

"Good Morning Lady Tsunade, we have already sent a messenger ahead to inform the Hokage of your arrival, if you will please follow us we will provide you and your companion an escort to the Hokage Tower."

Nodding to the captain Tsunade began down the well known path toward the tower in which her mentor and sensei would be waiting for her. As the group walked there was a small crowd already about on their daily business, even for this early in the morning, who cheered at the sight of one of their beloved sannin and granddaughter of their shodai hokage. They smiled and waved but Tsunade ignored it mostly.

Tsunade's mind was busy with other matters. Kushina was alive, but if she was alive then what about her son? Tsunade remembered that night vividly, it was just as the night she had lost Dan. Being back in Konoha brought those memories even further to the forefront of her mind.

**Flashback**

The night had been lit by a beautiful full moon shining like a gemstone in the sky. The wind had torn the tree's from the ground and the ground had shaken the very roots of Konoha. The haunting aura surrounding the fox had been felt by every villager and shinobi alike. They had never seen anything like it before and it terrified them.

The entire village had been emptied as every available shinobi had been called to hold back the great nine-tailed fox. The civilians had been sent to the shelters behind the Hokage Mountain. The Kyuubi no Yoko had broken free of its restraints and was heading toward the village. Tsunade had returned to simply deliver the first born son of Minato Namikaze, the fourth hokage and close friend of the blonde medic.

The entire birth had been going well and was mostly over when Tsunade had been summoned away by an ANBU member passing a request from the hokage to aid in treating the injured. She hadn't wanted to leave Kushina but with the boy born and everything looked to be well in hand she had decided there was little danger. After all, who would attack the wife of Minato Namikaze? She was a hero of Konoha in her own right, the Crimson Death. And she knew that ANBU was protecting her, as ordered by Minato himself, Tsunade had decided that Kushina was safe and told her she was going to help the injured.

Tsunade had looked at the exhausted woman and smiled gently to too her as she held her young son in her arms, "Sensei has asked I take command of the emergency medical staff near the front. Your son is strong and I know you'll be safe with the security that Minato has put in place. Just hold him and let him feed some, you both did very well."

"I understand, go to the front Tsunade. That's where you're needed right now and thank you for coming back to help us, I don't know what we'd have done tonight if you had not have been here," Kushina responded with a slight bow of her head.

Tsunade smiled at her and the small child in her arms, a smile that she hadn't known she still possessed since the death of her lover and brother. For the first time she felt like she had a family again and she felt so proud to be the small boy's godmother.

**End Flashback**

Tsunade had learned just a few hours later that Kushina had vanished, supposedly dead. That Minato had sacrificed his life to defeat the nine-tailed fox, and, although the details had been sketchy, and that Naruto, that small child, had not been found at the hospital, she had assumed he had died with his mother. The guilt that Tsunade had felt for not staying with Kushina that night had consumed her. It felt as if her entire soul had been torn from her body and that she had completely betrayed those who had trusted her. It was an irrational feeling, Tsunade knew that, but her heart and soul didn't care and she had spent many nights asking 'What if I had stayed?' as she drowned her sorrow in a sake bottle.

It had destroyed her, she had broken down and fled Konoha that very morning with barely enough time to gather the simply bag she had brought with her. She had left without another word to her Sensei or Jiraiya and the only person who knew where she had gone was Shizune, her apprentice. She knew Shizune had told him where she was from time to time and let him know she was alright but it mattered little to Tsunade.

Now Tsunade stood before the Hokage Tower and the only thing she wanted was answers. She was sober, clear eyed, and on a mission. Tsunade marched into the tower, ignoring her escort and the chunnin who attempted to slow her. She slammed the doors to the hokage office open and saw her old sensei seated behind the desk with his pipe in his mouth.

"Alright Sensei, I'm here so where is Kushina and what the hell has been going on!"


	5. Toads and Sannin

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters in this fan fiction. I do not make money from this fan fiction.

Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone for the support so far with this story! The reviews you guys give me tell me what I am doing right and wrong and helps me a lot as a writer. I wanted to take a moment and give some specific thanks to Tatewaki2000, ChewieCookies, Dragonman 180, Bankai777, Shadowgouf, and StigmaReborn for their excellent reviews and hope there will be more to come. Thank you again for your support and I hope to continue to produce a quality product for your enjoyment in the future!

To answer a few quick questions:

**Hektols**:

**I have a pair of questions**.

**1.- Where were those ANBU loyal to Sarutobi when Naruto was attacked? If Sarutobi had so many ANBU why he didn't assign a pair of them to protect the boy? And don't tell me that they looked other way, one of the reasons ANBU are ANBU is because their loyalty to their leader**.

The truth is that man-power vs mission load many times make it difficult for the hokage to offer that kind of protection 24/7 for a single child, even if he is the carrier of the Kyubi no Yoko. At times of higher risk, such as in October near his birthday he can assign ANBU (Kakashi) to watch him but otherwise most of the ANBU is often busy with their own normal missions and functions depending on how their numbers fluctuate with mission success and failure. It really isn't a question of want as much as dealing with the reality of running such a huge organization.

**2.- What about Tsunade's hemophobia? A delivery is one of the bloodiest things a human can witness**.

As we have seen Tsunade can overcome her homophobia when she feels it is something extremely important or someone important to her is involved. Kushina and Minato were very close to Tsunade and thus she wouldn't even think of allowing anyone else to deliver their child no matter the amount of blood. Trust me, after she was finished and everything was safe she left the room very quickly, so her hemaphobia is still there.

**Shushinking**:

**Will the Kyuubi be nice in the story or will it be the same pain in the ass as it is in the manga? **

I will say the Kyubi will be male but the way he acts will have a direct relation to the way Naruto acts/grows up

**Will naruto create his own fighting style or will he use an already known one?**

Since Naruto will have a lot of teachers to possibly draw upon we'll just have to see which he likes most.

Further, Naruto will not be an overpowered superhero in this fic once the sannin return. He will be much stronger since he has so much support at such an early time in his life but I promise not to take it to ridiculous extremes and keep in the bounds of reasonableness. Also, there are some very interesting upcoming scenes with Kushina and her 'revenge' coming soon. If you have any ideas or suggestions or have your own stories and would like my input, review, or just want to suggest I read them I would be happy to help so feel free to send me private messages or stick it in a review.

Before I continue I wanted to take a moment out and give props to the following writers and their stories which have been simply amazing:

Escape from the Hokage's Hat by Anothvortex  
Student of the Snake by Brown Phanton  
Mizukage by Dragon6  
The Will Born in Fire by Edstargazer  
Team 8 by S'Tarkan  
New Chance by Hektols

All of these are well written and great stories to try if you like Naruto Fan fiction.

Chapter 5: Toads and Sannins

**Two days ago**

It was very late, in fact it was so late that it really couldn't be called 'night' anymore. It would be more accurate to say it was early morning. A white haired older man dressed in a red coat and wooden sandals stumbled out of an establishment in one of the seedier districts of Sunagakure.

He held a sake bottle in his grasp and it was rather obvious from his eyes, demeanor and smell he was well past being drunk and had worked hard to stay that way for several days. He knew he should have returned to Konoha immediately. In fact, he had remained in Suna longer than he had planned. But he simply couldn't face what going back to Konoha meant. Failure.

Jiraiya of the Sannin may have been many things, pervert, super pervert, author, toad sage, spy master, but one thing he had never been was coward. But the day he left Naruto alone he knew he was running away and he had spent many nights ignoring his conscious that he should return to fulfill his duties as a godfather. He had convinced himself countless times Naruto was safe and sound, that he was better off in the village. Eventually though his conscious would catch up to him and he would end up the way he is now. He stumbled into an alleyway, the proud toad sage leaned against the wall of a building and fought the thoughts and self accusations in his soul.

_I kept him safe through my spy network, my work wouldn't allow me to take him with me, he was safer in Konoha than on the road, what kind of life would that be for a child anyway? I thought he'd be happier in Konoha, sensei said he would watch over him,_ more and more thoughts filled his mind but even in his drunken stupor his conscious would not be denied, he knew he was wrong and he knew he was going to get what was coming to him and soon. What was worse was he knew he deserved it.

Memories came unbidden to him of the one time he had tried to fulfill his duties. He had finally garnered the will and galvanized his spirit to return to the child that was his grandson in everything but blood. The boy was five years old at the time. No one knew of course but he had come back and seen the boy who looked almost like a replica of Minato and it had nearly sent him into shock. He had broken down on the spot as every as every memory of him and Minato rushed to the surface. His will had crumbled at the rush of emotions and he had run away without anyone ever knowing his dark secret. He knew after seeing how closely Minato's son resembled him he could never fulfill his role as godfather.

As Jiraiya slowly sank to the ground with his back against the wall he began to feel a slight tingle run through his body. He knew instantly what it was but the alcohol stopped him from reacting in time to stop the pulling sensation as he felt his body enter a dimensional void leaving nothing more than a poof of smoke where the old sage had been.

Jiraiya blinked and raised a hand as the sunlight of dawn flooded his eyes and caused him to wince. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the obvious chakra signatures around him.

"It's a dream, it's a bad, bad, very bad dream! I'm not on the mountain, I'm just unconscious in an alley in Suna!" he muttered to himself even as he knew it wasn't true.

Suddenly pain filled Jiraiya's senses as a loud 'WACK' sounded and a large lump formed immediately on the back of his skull. It was quickly joined by more as the sounds of 'WACK! WACK! WACK!' echoed in the morning and lumps on his knee's, ankles, and forehead appeared.

"That 'dreamy' enough for ya Jiraiya-boy! Now get yourself up, we've got words to be havin with ya," a small frog with a gray goatee told him, and from the posture and tone of voice it was fairly obviously Fukasaku, one of the ancient toad sages, was not happy.

Jiraiya tried to stand but in his alcohol induced state he simply couldn't manage it. The old toad sage sighed and turned his head to regard his son and boss toad, "This is disgraceful, Bunta-boy, mind sobering this old fool up for us?"

Gamabunta simply smiled viciously at the old man before him, "Be a pleasure pops!" he grumbled. With a single movement and a subtle use of chakra he brought his webbed foot down on the ground and sent Jiraiya up into the air where he suddenly sent his tongue to catch the old pervert and with a slight flick sent him head first into the ice cold waters of the nearby lake.

Jiraiya surfaced with a glare as the cold water shocked his system out of the alcoholic stupor he had previously been in. With a glare at the toads before him he suddenly began to realize just how _many_ toads were watching him quietly. There had to be hundreds of them looking on as Fukasaku, Shima, and Gamabunta waited for him at the shore of the lake.

None of the toads looked happy. They all stood quietly watching, as if some sort of trial was being held and he saw more than one look of quiet disdain for him. Shima stood holding a rather menacing rolling pin in her hands with a dark glare at the man before her. Fukasaku held his wooden rod quietly with a neutral expression, his eyes however couldn't contain the obvious anger held behind them. Gamabunta seemed the least angry at his old friend but even his rigid posture was vastly different from his normal relaxed demeanor betraying his own emotions and the seriousness the situation demanded.

Before Jiraiya could consider running for it he felt Gamabunta's massive tongue encircle him and lift him from the water to be deposited on the land before the three toads.

"Uh, Hi guys, you look well…" Jiraiya started before a loud 'WACK' silenced him as another bumped added to the one he already had on the back of his head.

"OUCH! WHAT WAS THA-" "**SILENCE**!" Gamabunta roared, "**You were not brought here to speak Jiraiya, you were brought here to listen so shut up for once you pervert and listen**!"

Fukasaku nodded to his son and fixed a glare on Jiraiya, "Jiraiya-boy, we've recently received a very interesting message from the monkey king Enma sent to us by the Hokage of Konoha," he began as his eyes narrowed at the man before him, "He asked us to help find you as a request by Kushina Uzumaki. Now, we don't want any of your excuses so don't even try. We know Kushina was Minato-boy's wife. The lad spent hours talking about her and how they were dating. Hell he showed us the ring to get our opinion before he asked her! On top'a that when the message mentioned her son, _Naruto_, well it left little in our mind who the boy's father could be or whose _BOOK_ he could be named after.

"First we couldn't understand it. Minato-boy's son and you never mentioned him? Ma and I would have enjoyed spending time with the lad. We decided there must have been some reason the toads were never informed. Last we were told Minato-boy and Kushina-lass both died the night of the Kyubi attack. No mention was ever made of their child and we assumed the boy lad had died with his parents. So we decided there must have been some kind of mistake right? You'd never leave us in the dark about such an important matter after all right?"

Jiraiya's stomach clenched and his face paled as he realized where the old toad was going. The toads put a lot of emphasis on family and loyalty to family. It was no wonder there were so many toads watching the scene on the lakeshore. This was a trial! The toads considered family loyalty one of their highest priorities and would go to great lengths to protect each other. The idea that Jiraiya had shirked his duties, no matter the reason, a huge disgrace and insult to the toads. As the thoughts began to race through Jiraiya's mind he realized what he had to lose here if he didn't take the scene seriously, he could very well lose his contract with the toads.

"So Ma and I went for a visit in Konoha to speak with Kushina-lass and the Hokage. They told us everything Jiraiya…" Fukasaku's words made Jiraiya's heart stop as he went ever paler.

"YOU WERE HIS GODFATHER! " Shima roared at him, "After EVERYTHING we taught you about loyalty to family, about putting others before you to protect them, you do what? You LEAVE HIM! He was YOUR responsibility damn it all! We expected more out of your Jiraiya-boy! So much more!"

Shima continued her rant for a moment before Fukasaku laid his webbed forehand on her shoulder to quiet her as he saw Jiraiya cowering before the three great toads.

Fukasaku tapped his wooden rod on the ground before him to emphasis his points as he continued to the now silent and fully culled Jiraiya, "Minato-boy was precious to us as he was to you. He was special and a true genius. We loved him as we have you, a member of our own family. We mourned his loss as much as you did. But to know that Minato-boy had a son, a son you _knew_ about and one, didn't tell us, and two, didn't take move to care of the boy is despicable! At the very least you should have informed the toads of Minato-boy's son, we would have stepped up and offered our protection to the boy! You have crossed a terrible line here Jiraiya."

Jiraiya had sunken to his knees and hung his head, unable to come eye to eye with Fukasaku and Shima while their son Gamabunta sat behind them. Gamabunta had a look of shame on his face as he looked at the white haired sannin. He had never imagined Jiraiya would ignore the son of the student he saw as family. For all that Gamabunta liked Jiraiya as his old friend and comrade he simply couldn't mount any defense to overcome what had transpired so he remained silent.

The silence continued as the toad leaders glared at Jiraiya. Fukasaku nodded to his wife who walked up to Jiraiya until she was right in front of him, "I know how hard you were hit by the loss of Minato-boy. We all were. But that is no excuse to ignore Naruto. The least you could have done was inform the toads of his existence so we could watch over the boy. You messed up big this time Jiraiya, real big. We can't let this just slide, family is too important whether it be by blood or bond. Under our contract we are ordering you to return to Konoha immediately to fulfill your role as godfather to the child and protect Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. Further we are restricting your rights of summoning under the contract. You may only summon the toads in the work to train and protect Minato-boy's family otherwise we will not answer your summons until we have deemed your debt to Minato-boy and his family paid."

"I…I understand," Jiraiya responded with little protest in his voice. He saw the toads begin to move away from him en masse from the scene at the beach. Jiraiya sighed to himself as he felt the familiar tingle run through his body signifying he was being returned to his previous location within Sunagakure.

Rising from his knees Jiraiya, the toad sannin and spy master, left the alley he had been returned to and began his journey back to Konoha.

**Present Day**

The third hokage gave his student a slight smile before answering, "Hello to you too Tsunade." He nodded toward the chair before him before speaking again, "Please hold all other appointments. My student and I will be talking for a while," he told his secretary as Tsunade took her seat still fixing him with a glare.

Once the doors were closed and he had active several seals ensuring complete privacy. He then began to speak again in a smooth and conciliatory tone, "Thank you for coming Tsunade, I know its har…"

"Cut the crap sensei, I don't care about the touchy feely stuff, I want to know what the hell has been going on. I hate this village, the people in it, and the only reason I am here is because of this letter I got, which if it's a ruse I swear you will regret it!" Tsunade told him releasing a blast of direct killer intent toward her old sensei.

The old man before her nodded to his former pupil as his face hardened at the implication he would lie to get her to return to the village. "First, you should know better than to expect me to lie to you to obtain your return to this village. Second that letter was no ruse, Kushina has returned."

With a skeptical look to her face Tsunade nodded to her old sensei to continue. Hiruzen began to explain the events of the past week and a half, "Alright, 10 days ago Kushina Uzumaki came bursting through my doors. She was half crazed from malnutrition and had no clue where she was and barely remembered who she was. The only thing that made it through her head was that this office meant safety because it was where Minato was. In truth I barely recognized her from her former self and it was only her crying for Minato that made me take a closer look to realize who she was. She passed out and I had a medical team go over her and perform some muscle reconstruction and blood work here. I refused to allow it to leave this office."

He opened a desk drawer and removed a manila folder from within, handing it to Tsunade before continuing, "They found trace elements of chemicals used to induce medical coma's on patients in her bloodstream and extreme muscular atrophy. It took the medics nearly twenty-hours straight to repair and rebuild her atrophied muscles enough so she could stand and walk on her own. It was a miracle for her to make it to the tower. The medics said she must have been running on pure adrenaline to manage it. When she awoke she told me the location of the door about her abduction. Apparently Danzo sent some of his pet ROOT shinobi in the guise of ANBU and abducted Kushina shortly after Naruto was born.

"They then commenced with several tests before placing her in a medically induced coma. We believe her body built a resistance to the drug over time and she was able to fight her way to consciousness. Her ninja skills kicked in and forced her unconsciously to escape where she made a blind dash to arrive here. She was barely conscious when she arrived and crying for Minato. She barely weighed 65 pounds and was skin and bones. It was a miracle and an act of pure will that allowed her to make it here."

The hokage remained silent for a moment allowing Tsunade to process the information and go through the folder in her hands. She set the folder on the desk before her. The blonde woman remained quiet for a moment her hands clenching the sides of the chair she was in, the wood was creaking under the stress of her grip.

"You said these ROOT were dressed as ANBU?" Tsunade asked as her old teacher nodded. She gripped the side, "When I left her at the hospital… it was because ANBU said you requested my help in the field hospital…" At the statement Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly.

"I never gave any such instruction Tsunade. I know how hard the delivery had to be on you with the blood involved and wouldn't have asked more of you after that," he told her as another wave of guilt washed over her. A small part of her mind accused her saying _You should have stayed, it's your fault this happened!_

It had seemed so normal to have her go to the field hospital to help those injured. She hadn't even questioned the ANBU or gotten his code name. Tsunade's jaw clenched in anger and frustration at the now revealed betrayal and the realization of how deep Danzo had been in Konoha's system to pull off such a stunt under her nose.

Nodding to the man Tsunade took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking quietly, "There's more isn't there?"

Hiruzen nodded and took another deep breath, "Once she was back she demanded to see Naruto…"

At the mention of the boy's name Tsunade's shocked eyes shot open and locked onto her sensei's before silencing the older man with her own voice.

"Wait, Stop. Right. There. Naruto is_ ALIVE_? I thought he died the same night as Kushina and Minato, why didn't you send word to me that he was alive Sensei! What the hell! He is MY Godson and MY responsibility! How could you not tell me he survived!" Tsunade glared at the older man releasing a significant amount of killer intent.

Hiruzen coughed and looked uncomfortable at the question, failing to meet his student's furious gaze before finally taking a calming breath and meeting the blonde's eyes with his own to answer her.

"The truth is Tsunade, you ran away from the village before I had a chance to tell you and when I finally got word you sounded completely broken. You were an emotional wreck who drowned her sorrow in sake and gambling. How could I ask you to take on the role of mother that knowing Naruto lived would demand of you? After the first few years I thought about trying to bring you back and even went so far as to leave a standing order with the ANBU that if you were seen to pass a request for you to return to the village."

"That's a load of bull Sensei and you know it! If I had known Naruto was alive I would have returned to the village immediately. He was a connection to my past, the only one remaining with Minato and Kushina dead. How could you deny me that? It wasn't your choice to make old man! Do you know many nights I poured sake down my throat trying to forget how I had failed that small baby and his parents? DO YOU!" Tsunade yelled at the old hokage before her as she stood up and slammed her fists into the wooden desk before her leaving indentions into the polished wood.

Tsunade noticed how her teacher seemed to grow older before her very eyes as he sighed. It wasn't until that moment that Tsunade realized how old Hiruzen Sarutobi was. His skin seemed to hold more wrinkles than she remembered and his shoulders almost visibly sagged under the weight of the decisions he had made in his time as hokage. His eyes were unfocused as he remembered the past decade and the decision he had made before refocusing on the present and his student.

The old hokage closed his eyes for a moment before speaking quietly to his old student, the truth of his words ringing in his tone, "The truth is, I made a mistake and I am not so arrogant as to not admit it. I truly believed what I did was the right thing, but you are right, you deserved the chance to make the decision yourself. I should have called you back and told you. I'm sorry Tsunade, I know if you had known Naruto was alive you would have come back, I failed Naruto in that regard and by doing so Minato and Kushina as well."

Sighing to herself, Tsunade simply couldn't remain angry at the old man, he had tried to do his best but sometimes people simply made mistakes and at least he had been willing to admit it. It was always a hard reminder that Hokage's were people too and not the all-knowing and all-powerful beings people believed. Tsunade returned to her seat and the two were quiet for a moment before she finally spoke again.

"Ok sensei, we'll discuss it more later, and I am still angry with you about this but please continue," she told him.

Nodding to her Hiruzen resumed his story, "Once she was awake the first thing she wanted was to see Naruto. After getting her to eat and shower we left for the academy and she nearly fainted on the spot at seeing him. It was rather an adorable moment for the two of them. I had my crystal ball take pictures, I'll show you some time. After several discussions Kushina demanded Minato's affects and will and moved into the Namikaze district with Naruto and dragged Kakashi along with her for protection. She wanted to announce their new status as Minato's family immediately but I managed to convince her to wait until you and Jiraiya returned for extra protection against any enemies both inside and outside of the village. Currently Gai and Kakashi have been overseeing Kushina's rehabilitation and Naruto's remedial training."

"I see, and why exactly does Naruto need _remedial_ training?" the blonde before him asked as her eyes narrowed, her mind already reaching conclusions about the reasons motivating such a move.

"According to Kakashi, Kushina, and Gai Naruto has been instructed incorrectly by the academy professors for several years before Iruka took an interest in the boy. I was going to take care of the situation but Kushina requested I wait until she was well enough to handle the situation personally," the old hokage told her as he grimaced at the idea of what Kushina might be thinking.

"Well, I will say you made one hell of a gigantic mess here. What about Danzo and his ROOT? I am assuming you haven't just let him get away with kidnapping Minato's wife? And if he's still alive I want a piece of that ugly old bastard!" Tsunade told him with a murderous glint in her eye that promised a long time of torture.

Hiruzen sighed again, "Danzo's ROOT have been dealt with but Danzo himself has escaped. We did manage to rescue all of the children he was training and all of the information on his experiments and plans. We are still going through it all but it looks like he was scalping the orphanages for the best candidates for potential shinobi. We managed to rescue over 200 children from ages 2 to 12. It is disturbing to think that in a few more years he would have likely doubled the size of his ROOT forces. I'd like you to look over some of them that have more severe training injuries if you don't mind?"

"We'll see. I am not here to help you or the village Sensei. I am here because Kushina and Naruto need me and I have a responsibility to Naruto as his godmother. Now, before we take a little trip to visit the Namikaze district tell me something. Where was Jiraiya in all of this?" She asked him with an evil gleam shown from the eyes of the blonde woman as she said the name of her former teammate.

"Jiraiya, well, from what I have heard, should be on his way back. I know the message I sent him got through," he told her carefully.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at that, "You know that's now what I mean Sensei. Where has Jiraiya been for the past 10 years, he is Naruto's godfather after all and I know he didn't run off like I did. So where is the old pervert and, judging by your reaction, why has he not been here?"

"I think it would be best to ask Jiraiya that himself when he arrives don't you think?" Hiruzen told her as he skirted the subject carefully to avoid angering the blonde sannin before him.

As she narrowed her eyes Tsunade nodded, "I suppose you're right sensei, it would be easier to ask him in person and there would be less chance of him escaping if he doesn't have a damn good reason for not being here. Now, I think we were about to make a short trip to the Namikaze district weren't we?"

"Yes but before we go there is something we need to discuss," the hokage told her with a seriousness he hadn't held before. With a nod from his student he continued.

"I'm concerned with Kushina's mental stability. I've been receiving reports from Kakashi daily and while her physical health has continued to improve thanks to Gai's rehabilitation training it is obvious that her mental health isn't keeping up. It is to be expected in some part since she woke to a loss of 10 years of her life but he says he has noticed her 'spacing out' randomly. Or she will stare at places around the district or the house or gardens as if expecting someone to come around the corner. From what Kakashi tells me she seems to lose herself in memories rather than staying in the present. About the only thing that seems to keep her in the here and now is Naruto. I'm worried the stress of losing so much at once may be too much for her mind to handle. I want you to watch her and if you think it's necessary to arrange for a psychological evaluation immediately with Inoichi."

Tsunade remained quiet for a moment as her mind processed the information before speaking, her voice was barely above a whisper, "To wake up to find your husband dead, 10 years have passed by with you asleep, and your son a stranger to you and his own family would be jarring for anyone. The fact that she is as functioning as well as you say is a miracle within itself. I'll keep an eye on her and if I see anything I think is out of place I'll order an examination."

With a node Hiruzen took his hat from the stand beside his desk and rose to make his way out of the officer with Tsunade not far behind him. They were silent now, both digesting the information they had been given.

As Tsunade made her way toward the Namikaze district with the old hokage in tow, Kushina Uzumaki was currently lost in the memories of 10 years prior. She was sitting in the old rose garden of the Namikaze manor. It was a beautiful place and she had slowly and painstakingly been tending it in an effort to restore its former beauty.

The garden was a large section in the middle of the house itself. The house surrounded the garden in walls of stone and polished wood but you would never notice if you sat within it. The trees, bushes, and flowers within had become overgrown with time since she had last been here but the smell of the roses still filled the air. The gurgle of the small steam with its many miniature waterfalls played a melody in the air with a natural and alluring harmony making it hard to walk away. The smell of the roses on the air was intoxicating but not too sweet. The entire setting was one of simple beauty and grace.

Kushina had often thought of Minato and the Namikaze clan he described as similar to the garden they had built. They had been simple people who enjoyed life but were hardened warriors when needed. They enjoyed the simple things such as family and peace and quiet but held some of the most brilliant minds on sealing and complex jutsu in the world.

Minato had been just like them. He had wiped out half of the Iwa army during the war and yet he was the kindest and gentlest man in the world. He was considered the most powerful shinobi of his generation but acted as if it didn't matter. He was approachable, loving, kind, strong… Kushina shook her head to clear her thoughts. She often found herself thinking of Minato these days and it always led to tears she did her best to hold back.

Kushina was here this morning after her initial training with Gai. She sat, lost in her memories of Minato when they had first come here. It had been a cool evening and he had told her he wanted to share something with her. This garden was a special place to Kushina and it brought her comfort, as if the world hadn't changed around her while she slept. If she closed her eyes she could still see Minato from that night.

Minato had worn a dark blue button up shirt which contrasted his bright blonde hair and made his blue eyes shine. He had on black pants and his smile seemed to brighten her entire world. They had secretly been dating for nearly four months and it was like a part of her life had finally become complete. They had known each other for years and been friends since they had graduated from the academy but it wasn't until the shinobi from Kumo had attempted to kidnap her that she had realized how much he cared for her.

He had brought her here, into his family's ancestral home. The streets were dark and quiet as he explained to her the sad story of his family. He told her of his dream of restoring the district and having a family and to restore his clan and bring down the dimensional walls that surrounded his family's district. Then he had brought her here, to the rose garden in his home.

They had sat on the very bench which Kushina now occupied alone. A tear passed down her cheek as the thought of Minato passed through her mind. Her eyes were closed and her mind so busy with her memories that she didn't notice the small presence that came to her side.

"M-mommy?" Naruto said as he watched the first tear followed by another.

Kushina opened her eyes and wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and smiled at her son. He was her world now, the only thing which kept her sane in the mass of emotions and memories which rose, often, unbidden.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" her son asked her.

"I was just remembering Naru, this is where your father brought me the first time he brought me into the Namikaze district," she told him with a small sad smile.

Naruto had been avoiding asking his mother much about his father, he saw how she cried when she saw certain things in the house such as clothing or pictures. He wanted to see his mother smile but he didn't know how and when he had asked Kakashi what to do the older man had advised Naruto to simply try and be there for her and to listen.

"M-mmom, could, um, could we t-talk about d-dad?" Naruto asked hesitantly hoping his mother wouldn't cry or get upset. It had been so hard these past few days, his mother always so distant and lost in her memories.

Kushina was shocked for a moment, aside from their initial conversations she realized she hadn't told Naruto very much about Minato and felt ashamed she had allowed her own private grief to deny her son something so important.

She smiled gently down at her son, "Of course Naru, I'd like that, why don't you climb up into my lap and I'll start with this garden."

With a happy smile and a nod the ten year old promptly jumped into the seat beside his mother only to have her pull him onto her lap and wrap her arms around him. She smiled at him, he looked so much like Minato it was scary at times, but where Minato was quiet and reserved Naruto had her brash and energy filled personality.

_Oh Minato, I know you'd have loved him dearly, _she thought to herself.

"Well, you see Naru, your dad and I met at the ninja academy. I was a refuge from the former whirlpool country. My homeland and clan was destroyed during the third great shinobi war. To my knowledge all of my family was wiped out that day. It was only fate that allowed me to survive. I wasn't there at the time of the attack. You see I was brought here before that to aid the Senju clan. You see Naru, our family are cousins of the Senju, in fact the first Hokage was married to an Uzumaki," she told as he gasped at the thought of his family being related to the founding Hokage of Konoha.

Smiling Kushina continued, "At first I thought your father was a big wimp. When they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up he told us he wanted to be the most beloved Hokage ever to live," Kushina blushed slightly, "I actually laughed at him for that, it wasn't until after the academy that we started to get to know each other. We were both assigned to different sensei but often found our teams working together on missions.

"I didn't even know he liked me until an incident with some Kumo shinobi happened. You see, our blood has some rather special abilities in it. We have the ability to suppress biju, much like the Senju," she told with a proud smile.

"Um, Mom, whats a biju?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

Kushina ruthlessly suppressed the sense of righteous anger that spiked within her soul at the simple question by her son, _Those ungrateful bastards at the academy! As soon as those two sannin are back I'm going to level that place with those bastard instructors inside it!_

It took her a moment to pull her mind away from the thoughts of castrating and burning academy instructors alive to answer Naruto's question, "A Biju is a chakra monster. Its where chakra which resides naturally in the world have coalesced and condensed into a sentient, thinking creature, most people call demons. Our family and the Senju clan were gifted with the ability to suppress these demon's chakra, similar to a bloodline trait within our clan."

"Did dad's family have a bloodline as well?" Naruto asked her.

"If he did your father never mentioned it to me so I don't think so. He said that there was some speculation about one before he was born because some of his clansmen found themselves able to heal and recover quicker than most but it never seemed to settle into the entire clan. Probably because they were almost wiped out from the subsequent ninja wars. Your father's family was more known for their family jutsu's. They were one of the only clan capable of using space-time jutsu's with precision and regularity and were known as some of the greatest seal masters in the world," she said as she giggled remembering the blonde haired teen who had asked for her help with seals.

"Actually it was one of the things which brought your father and I together," she told Naruto, "the Uzumaki family has deep traditions in sealing and we held some of the most powerful seals in the world in our family library. Sealing was considered a family specialty so we were taught them at an early age so I was fairly adept even before coming to Konoha and I continued to train myself on my own. Minato asked me to give him some pointers with more advance seals when he a bit older, I never knew he was creating a new jutsu at the time though."

Kushina smiled as she remembered the day when she was 14 and Minato had asked her to lunch to talk about some advanced seals she had brought with her to study from her homeland. She hadn't known then about his work on the Hirashin jutsu. Although it was just an idea in the back of his mind at the time and he wouldn't have the ability to even begin considering work on it until several years later.

During the silence Naruto looked up at his mother and smiled brightly at her, his eyes seemed to radiate the intense emotions inside him, "Mom, thank you for coming back."

"Oh my little Naru," she said she leaned over and kissed his hair, "I just wish you hadn't had to be alone for so long. I wish I had been there to watch over you, but I am now and I promise you won't ever be alone again. I'll be there when you go on your first date, when you graduate, when you get fight in the chunin exam, when you become Hokage, and when you get married and have children. I promise my little Naru, I won't let you be alone ever again," she told him with conviction, making the promise to both him and herself never to allow her son to live without his family again.

"Now, how about I tell you about the Uzumaki clan huh?" She asked with a slight smile as he nodded to her.

Naruto listened on as his mother spoke, drinking in every word she said as he wrapped his arms around her waist, slowly tightening his grip and nuzzled into her body. For the first time in his life he had a family. In his head he knew that from the first day his mother had come back into his life. Yet the shock of that feeling finally had begun to settle into the little boy's life as the changes which had taken place finally began to settle down. Kushina could feel warm tears beginning to burst forth from the damn of emotion that Naruto had been holding back for so long.

Everything lately had been like a dream. He had a family, a history, not just one but _two_ clans he came from. The shock of everything was finally beginning to wear off and Naruto just couldn't hold it inside anymore. As he held his mother he let the emotions he had bottled up for years, the fear of being unloved, the feeling of being alone and hated and finding himself in a home where he was wanted and the relief his fears were unfounded come forth.

Kushina placed her arms around his son and felt her own tears beginning to flow freely as the mother and son comforted each other. For the first time since awakening Kushina allowed someone else to see her cry for her loss of the man who had brought such joy to her life. And in the peace of the garden within the Namikaze manor the last of the Namikaze held each other allowing emotional walls they had put up to be slightly pulled away and bringing them closer.


	6. Return of the Sannin

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters in this fan fiction.

Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry for being gone for a while there. I just finished exams and finally was able to get this next chapter hammered out. I have a new beta who is helping me make sure the story remains a very high quality. I am hoping to get another update out before I have to return to school from break but we will see what happens. I am so glad so many of you are enjoying the story so far, thank you so much for the reviews and please continue to tell me what you think of the story both likes and dislikes and even what you might hope to have happen.

For future reference I do try and keep an update on my profile of the status of updates and how long you should expect to wait until another is coming. If you are ever concerned that I am not continuing a story you can check there and get an idea of where I am at with updates.

To answer a few questions about Jiraiya, the toads, and the Kyubi. I actually went back and looked up what the toads told Jiraiya to do, they don't tell him to become a wanderer but tell him to experience the world of life, true that can be interrupted as become a wanderer but I think it's really too open to discussion to nail it down. I also checked and Gamabunta was only at the battle with the Kyubi for a short time and the entire time was in direct combat with the Kyubi while Minato performed the sealing. No one ever told him who the child was and he wasn't there to see Minato and Kushina together so he really would have no clue who Naruto was or his father.

As far as the Kyubi. The fox is a demon, that doesn't necessarily make him 100% evil but he's a force of nature and rage and the way I intend to handle the Kyubi is to make him as such.

**CONTEST INFORMATION!**

OK! On to my surprise for everyone! My girlfriend and I were reading some of the reviews for Uzumaki Sunrise and came across a review by **narutodekenzieboy**, "...Is Awesome Story?...Update please...*puppy eyes no jutsu*…" Well one thing lead to another and we decided that there should be a contest. Be as creative as you like! We want this to be a creative and original jutsu. While the original idea was inspired by Narutodekenzieboy and the puppy dog eyes we would like to see as much imagination used as possible. The jutsu can be anything you want but cannot be inappropriate, the line we draw is the sexy no jutsu. We need to know what it does, what the jutsu is named, how it affects the intended target and what the person under the affect should look like as well as what the person using the jutsu should look like (if applicable). The prize of this? My girlfriend happens to be a talented artist and she has generously offered to turn the winning jutsu into an artwork that will be posted along with the next update! You can submit your ideas as a review or if you'd rather you can send it to me through a message on Fan .

As a Grand Prize I will also make use of the jutsu in the story itself!

**Return of the Sannin**

**Road One Day from Konoha**

As Tsunade and the old Kage made their way through the streets of the village toward Kushina and Naruto a white haired man was moving quickly along the road a day's travel from the village. Jiraiya had been lost in thought since he had left Sunagakure. At first he had rushed out of Suna in a mad dash but soon after slowed a bit with the realization he had no plan or idea what he would do once he got to Konoha. Many emotions and thoughts had run through him and his mind was filled with how he would be received when he returned to Konoha. He knew Kushina would be furious and after seeing some of the beating his student had received at her hand; thoughts of her vindictive and creative nature made him shudder at what she could, and probably would, do to him.

And then there was the toads, the way the toads had responded to the news of his godson's survival had been rather harsh in his opinion but not entirely unwarranted. He had never even considered that they would want to know that Naruto had survived. But given to how much they had loved Minato and their penchant for strong family connections they would consider the care of Minato's son a very important matter. And while Gamabunta had been present at the battle with the Kyubi no Yoko he was never told who the child was and he had been forced to leave before the final sealing. Hell, he may have had to depart before even seeing the child used in the sealing.

Jiraiya sighed to himself for the thousandth time and shook his head. Finally there was Naruto, the godson he had all but abandoned. He had no clue how he was supposed to ask for forgiveness for his actions, how did one even go about asking to be forgiven after knowing what the boy suffered and ignoring his torment for years? Well, ignoring wasn't entirely true. Jiraiya had watched the boy from the shadows many times, tried to gain the resolve to take him away from Konoha but every time he had lost his nerve the moment the boy turned a certain way or smiled just like his dad had. Everything about Naruto reminded Jiraiya of Minato and it broke the toad sage's heart just being near him and in doing so he had failed the man he had considered a son. How does one even go about asking for forgiveness for such a crime? Jiraiya was simply at a loss as he continued toward Konoha, his very soul weighing heavy with guilt and the burden of shame.

**Namikaze Manner**

Both Kushina and Naruto were startled to hear the doorbell ring to the great mansion. The only person other than Gai and Kakashi, both of whom were inside the manner, with access to the district was the Third Hokage and he was usually too swamped with paperwork to visit during the day, if at all. Rising from their bench Kushina took her son's hand and they made their way out of the garden and toward the entryway of the mansion.

Before reaching the doors themselves they heard the voice of the old Kage speaking with Gai, "Thank you Gai, if you don't mind, we're looking for Kushina and Naruto…" but before he could finish another voice, distinctly female, was heard as well.

"Enough sensei, I'm going to go find Kushina and Naruto, this is long overdue," Tsunade stated with firm conviction and a hint of remorse, regret, and fear.

"Tsunade…" Kushina whispered to herself as anger flooded her senses. Her body went rigid and she began to see red as rage pumped through her system. Here was one of the two people she had trusted! If something happened to her and Minato she had expected her to care for their son! She had trusted Tsunade and expected her to be there! She had trusted her to watch over Naruto, and she hadn't! Feelings of betrayal swept through Kushina's body and were quickly replaced by the tidal wave of rage. Kushina's anger took hold of her and she felt as if she hadn't been unconscious for the past decade. Her body moved without thought and she strode into the lighted hallway before Gai, Tsunade, and the Third Hokage.

"You won't have to look far, we're right here. Now what is long overdue? The fact that my son grew up alone for ten years while his godparents flittered away doing anything they felt like? I heard you were out drinking sake and gambling every day piling up so much debt that not even the Senju clan accounts could repay it. Finally come home now that you've been caught? Well Tsunade, is that what is long overdue? Taking the _responsibility_ that you should have **TEN** **GOD DAMNED YEARS AGO**!" Kushina roared at the blonde haired woman before her.

Naruto stared at his mother open mouthed and then looked at the blonde haired woman who he had just learned was his godmother. She wasn't very tall, perhaps 5'3" with long blonde hair and a small jewel in the center of her forehead. She wore a green coat but the rest was blocked by the forms of Gai and the Hokage. Her face had turned white right then and her eyes began to quiver as if she was about to break down before the growing rage of his mother.

Naruto had learned something very important since his mother had returned to him, never, ever make a woman angry. When he would repeat his observation later to Kakashi, Kakashi told him he was "wise beyond his years." Apparently this wisdom did not cease with Naruto as the old Kage seemed to sense this was a fight he didn't want to get involved and with a quiet hello skirted away from Tsunade's side to quietly remove Naruto and Gai from the line of fire.

_Thanks Sensei…_ Tsunade thought to herself as she looked at the towering rage before her, _now I remember why they called her the crimson death…_

While Tsunade was one of the Sannin, the last of the proud Senju, granddaughter of the first Hokage and grandniece of the second, she was helpless before the righteous anger of the mother before her. "Kushina… I'm so sorr-" She started but was ruthlessly cut off before hardly beginning.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY YOU'RE SORRY TSUNADE!" Kushina roared again before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, "All I can think is how Dan and Nawaki would feel knowing you abandoned your godchild to the hands of this uncaring village? How would Minato feel? We trusted you and Jiraiya to look after him and I return to find out you haven't even once asked about him! You assumed he was dead didn't you? God Damned it all Tsunade you've always been so self-centered and selfish, always only thinking of your own god damned pain!

"You never came back to ask about Naruto because you were afraid of the answer weren't you! If you had you would have had to stay in the village or own up to the responsibilities placed upon you by being Naruto's godmother! Did you ever ask about him? Did you ever think to check and see if he was alright? Did you even wonder if he was alive? No, you didn't did you? I know how you fled the night Minato died, I know how you ran away like a scared little child with Shizune," stated Kushina as her eyes narrowed in fury.

As Kushina's words hit Tsunade it appeared as if a physical force struck the Sannin. She took a step back at the mention of Dan, Nawaki, and Minato. The ghosts of her past forced to the forefront of her mind and the thoughts of how ashamed they would be came forth unbidden. She could see them standing before her hanging their heads at the knowledge of the truth in Kushina's words. Tears began to form in her eyes and for one of the only times in her life Tsunade was left humble. As much as she wanted to deny the accusations, as much as she wanted to get angry at the words spoken, she simply couldn't. They were true and not even Tsunade Senju could deny the truth today.

As Kushina stopped to take a deep breath Tsunade saw her chance to finally have a say, "Kushina just listen to me, I know I messed up, I thought Naruto had died that night along with you and Minato. I can't make an excuse for what happened in the past but I am here now and I want to make up for it. You and Naruto are my blood, please, just give me a chance," Tsunade said as she bowed her head, tears landing softly on the wooden floor below her.

Kushina looked at the woman before her and her body trembled as memories of Tsunade returned to her. She saw the blonde Senju giving her check-ups as Naruto grew within her. She saw her helping her with her jutsu, showing her around the village when she first arrived, talking to her about Minato and so many more memories of the two them. As angry as Kushina was a part of her understood the pain Tsunade had felt. The pain of losing everything and everyone dear to you and she understood how easy it was to want to run away.

As quickly as the rage had come the vortex of memories and emotions within Kushina seemed to stop her cold and as the angry cooled from the heat of the moment she felt her strength ebb. The words coming from her voice a mere whisper compared to the roar they had held a moment before, "We are your blood Tsunade, last of the Uzumaki, cousins of the Senju. We trusted you, both Minato and I, we put our faith in you," tears began to crawl down the Kushina's face but she refused to wipe them away, "we believed that you would do the right thing if the unthinkable happened," the tears pooled upon her cheeks before silently dropping to the floors and her breathing became ragged gasps, "I can never forget what you've done and I don't know if I can ever forgive you for it entirely either."

Tsunade's head sunk lower at those words and her eyes were squeezed shut as silence fell between the two women.

While Kushina vented her rage Naruto turned slightly to the old Kage beside him and whispered the question that was burning him up, "Um, why does she keep saying that blonde woman is related to us and is she really my godmother?"

Hiruzen chuckled, "Well, you see your mother and you are descendents of the Uzumaki clan. The Uzumaki were the cousins of the Senju clan which founded Konoha. The blonde woman, Tsunade, is the last direct Senju and is kind of like your aunt. Your mother and father named her your godmother because they were so close to her growing up."

Naruto nodded and as the men waited for the awkward silence to end Naruto made a rather risky decision. As Kushina opened her mouth to continue her tirade Naruto walked up and hugged his mother. He smiled at her before moving to Tsunade who stared at him with fear in her eyes at how he would react.

Naruto smiled as he looked into her eyes, "HI AUNTIE!" he yelled as he hugged the blonde woman before her and laughed.

Tsunade looked as if she would faint from the sudden contact and emotion but simply dropped to her knee's to wrap her arms around Naruto and everyone could hear the muffled apologizes coming from the blonde woman as she hugged her godson.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled at the boys action, _I sometimes wonder if Naruto even has the ability to hate or hold a grudge. You will become an amazing man one day, just like your father._

Now, there are moments in life when a simple act of kindness can change everything, unfortunately for Tsunade, Kushina was not in the mood to make such an act. Her eyes softened slightly at her son's actions and she shook her head before giving a feral smile. "Fine, since Naruto seems to like you I guess we'll give you a second chance but you're not off the hook. Since you're here I expect you to act as the Namikaze clan's personal medic, assist in training Naruto, and as such we'll have to take care of that pesky hemaphobia of yours. We don't want you freezing up if my little Naru gets hurt now do we?"

Tsunade looked as if she had just been given the greatest gift ever before the words sunk in completely, "Thank you Kushina I swear you won't regret it. Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of Naruto's life but, uh, how exactly do you intend to 'fix' hemaphobia? The only way known to overcome a phobia is to..." she stopped as her eyes widened at Kushina's increasingly demonic smile, "Face** it**!" Kushina finished her, the words dripping with malevolence.

The old Kage, Gai, and Shizune all shuddered as they heard the words and the smile on Kushina's face.

"Remind me never make Kushina angry," Shizune said.

"YOSH! AGREED! her flames of youth are so intense they are scary!" Gai agreed.

The old Hokage suddenly shuddered, _My paperwork senses are tingled… it's as if millions of forms suddenly cried out in warning!_

**Several Days Journey from Konoha**

Danzo looked on impassively at the small encampment his forces had built. He had lost nearly 400 trained shinobi and over 200 recruits. But they were simply tools to be thrown away when no longer useful. Now he was left with just over 50. It was true, they were the best of his elite forces, but still, with his forces so heavily depleted he would need to make new plans.

Tapping his cane once on the floor of two shinobi appeared from the shadows.

"We must rebuild our depleted forces. You are to activate plan Delta Three."

With a nod the men disappeared as silently as they had appeared and Danzo returned his gaze to the encampment before him.

_You may have won this round Hiruzen, but a single victory does not win the war._

**Evening within the Namikaze District**

After the fighting had finally settled some Tsunade, Shizune, and their pig Tonton had been welcomed into the mansion and shown to some rooms on the second floor. Gai took Kushina off to her afternoon training session while Naruto was taken by Tsunade for a full physical examination. She then spent the next several hours poking him, prodding him, taking blood samples, and running jutsu over him before giving him a clean bill of health. Although she told him that several of the blood work tests would have to wait until she had access to the hospital the following day.

Naruto now found himself unable to fall asleep immediately in the giant mansion of the Namikaze. He knew it was his home and he felt safe but he just wasn't used to the place. He looked out his window and saw the silent Namikaze district. It reminded him of the history his mom had told me about concerning the Namikaze and their sad tale. In truth Naruto also felt slightly overwhelmed by everything. No one had come out and said it but being suddenly finding yourself the heir to a famous and extremely powerful clan was a lot to take in. And Naruto was the heir to _two_ of them.

Naruto sighed to himself as he turned over again in his bed, "I just wish I knew what I am supposed to do, stupid thoughts, I want to go to sleep!" he muttered to himself into his pillow.

For the most part Naruto just went with the flow in life. He enjoyed the little things like a good prank and found most of the schoolwork stuff boring. When his mom had suddenly come back into his life he enjoyed the simple fact that his mother was here and then Kakashi and Gai were with them and even helping him with his training! His mom told him a lot about his dad and even said once he got his taijutsu down he could start learning the basics of the Namikaze's family style and maybe even a few of the lower ranked family jutsu's! He was so excited at times he couldn't contain all his energy and would simply start bouncing up and down until Kakashi or Gai took him outside to train and get rid of the excess energy.

But at times like this, when it was late at night, other thoughts and realizations came to rest in his mind. He was the last heir to two very old clans, one which was related directly to the Senju (as he had found out today). He was expected to rebuild one of those clans. No one had said it in so many words but he heard what people said about Sasuke after the Uchiha massacre. How he would have great things expected from him and how, as the last of his clan, he would have to rebuild his clan. Now Naruto found himself in a similar situation and really had no idea how to handle it.

The confusion didn't help him sleep any. He thought about asking Kakashi or his mom but he didn't want them to think he was afraid or unwilling to rebuild the Namikaze or the Uzumaki. But he didn't know how to go about doing it. He didn't know anything other than what his mom had told him about his clan. What if there were clan traditions he needed to learn? Would he need to learn specific table manners? How did one even go about rebuilding a clan? And what if he messed up? Would he disappoint everyone by making a bad decision?

It was just a lot for a ten year old to have thrust upon him and he didn't know how to handle it. Obviously no one meant for Naruto to feel this way but it wasn't something that ever really crossed their minds.

Naruto rolled over in his bed again and thought about the blonde woman, Tsunade was her name, who was his godmother. The old man hokage had said she was the granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage and heir to the Senju clan. Maybe she would understand what was going on and could help him.

The more Naruto thought about it the more he felt like talking to his godmother/aunt was a good idea. Finally making the decision to talk to her about it the next chance he got he settled down for some well deserved rest.

**The next morning**

The Namikaze mansion was just stirring with life when Gai arrived shortly before the sun had risen over the sky to find a kneeled form in front of the house. While he could not see the man's face he saw he wore a red coat, had long white hair, and wooden sandals.

"YOSH! GOOD MORNING SIR! MAY THE POWERS OF YOUTH BRING YOU A WONDERFUL DAY!" Gai yelled at the stranger without ever wondering how he could have entered the Namikaze district since it was not possible without a special key.

The strange made a noise like a grunt and Gai noticed he seemed to tense at his voice.

As Gai approached the man he immediately knew the man before him, "Lord Jiraiya? I didn't realize you were back in town sir. Why are you bowing toward the mansion?"

Jiraiya refused to respond, merely attempting to push his forehead further into the ground.

Deciding that he had no clue what was going on or why the flames of youth had appeared to have disappeared from the mighty toad sannin Gai proceeded inside the manor where he found Kushina and Tsunade sitting with Naruto between them. There was a slight tension in the room as Kushina watched Tsunade interact with Naruto. Gai coughed politely to get their attention.

"Good morning Gai," Kushina said with a wave, her eyes never leaving Tsunade or Naruto.

"Um, Good Morning Kushina, I hope your flames of youth are better than Lord Jiraiya's this morning?" Gai said… and thought he had just entered an alternate world as the two women suddenly were both up and past him in a flash leaving the door open.

_What speed! I never even saw them move! _Gai thought to himself wondering if he could replicate the technique somehow.

Kushina and Tsunade were standing at the top of the stairs glaring down at the kneeled form of the white haired sannin. People have often used the saying 'if looks could kill', well, if the looks that Tsunade and Kushina were sending Jiraiya could do physical harm the old toad sage would have found himself being skinned, dropped into a large sack of salt, then having his manhood slowly peeled from his body, one strip of flesh at a time.

"Finally come home you old pervert? What took you so long? You have more to answer for than anyone else!" Kushina started taking a step forward radiating so much killer intent that even the time/space barrier couldn't contain it and it began to leak from the district.

Jiraiya remained silent as Kushina approached, never raising his head or moving from the spot.

Kushina narrowed her eyes at the lack of response, "Minato loved you like a father Jiraiya. You were the closest thing he had to one after the last of his family died. Tsunade at least didn't know Naruto was alive, and Sarutobi did the best he could with what he had. But you, you just ran away and LEFT Naruto alone. YOUR OWN GODSON! I knew it was a mistake to name you his Godfather, I told Minato we should consider someone else but he _insisted_, he had _faith_ that you would step up to the task."

Kushina stated each word with an emphasis of disgust and distaste as she looked down at the older man who had not said a word or moved.

"Are you even listening? Or are you ignoring me the way you ignored Naruto his entire life?" Kushina demanded.

Silence met her response.

Kushina's eyes narrowed but before she could take any other action she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Kakashi.

"Kushina, look." He said as he pointed at the ground.

The ground beneath Jiraiya's hands was disturbed, as if clawed but his hands, even now his hands were clutching the ground as if for dear life. His eyes were struggling to hold back tears and his face was one of intense pain, remorse, and regret. He was muttering to himself but no one could really understand anything he said.

Tsunade had seen a lot different sides to her old partner but this was not one of them. He was a pervert, he admitted it openly, he was brash, out-going, strong willed, and probably the strongest of the three sannin. But she had never seen a look of such inner turmoil and pain, it was if he was losing his very sanity by being in this place."

"I tried, I tried so many times, I tried, I tried, I tried," he kept muttering over and over again.

Tsunade stepped up beside Kushina and knelt down to Jiraiya before lightly tapping him on the head with a finger, which, in Tsunade's terms, was the equivalent of someone slamming Jiraiya's head into the ground.

"Stop muttering you old pervert and start talking, what do you mean you 'tried', what did you try?" Tsunade asked.

But it didn't seem to have any effect on the man. He simply stayed where Tsunade had flung him and continued to mutter.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and reached out and took hold of her old teammates coat and lifted him off the ground. However his eyes and head never moved, they remained down in shame and he continued to mutter about having tried so hard. Tsunade wasn't sure what to do and she was getting annoyed and being annoyed led to an angry Tsunade.

"Wake up damn it! What the hell is wrong with you!" She snapped at her old teammate.

Finally having enough of his muttering Tsunade punched him in his gut with all the strength she possessed sending him crashing into a tree 40 feet away.

But still Jiraiya merely accepted the punishment and slumped forward back into a kneeling position in response.

As angry as she was at the old sage Kushina had never expected this kind of reaction. Jiraiya had always been so full of life, so strong and brash, filled with energy beyond belief. The man before her looked like he had had his spirit shattered without her having to say or lift a finger.

Kushina approached the old sage and knelt down before him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, "Jiraiya, what did you try to do?" she asked quietly and gently as she could.

"I tried to take care of him…" he said as tears began to stream down his face, "So many times I came here to take him away, so many I've lost count, but he's so much like… like…" his voice was lost again as he struggled to say the words.

"Like Minato?" Kushina asked and Jiraiya nodded in response.

"I, I wanted to be responsible, I wanted to protect him, I, I even t-tried to t-take him one day. B-but I couldn't, I just kept seeing Minato in him and I'd lose it. I tried Kushina and I failed, I failed you and M-minato," Jiraiya wept into the ground as he pushed his forehead into the dirt.

"But Sarutobi said you…" Kushina began but was interrupted.

"He never knew, he had no idea how many times I came back and watched Naruto. I was always there on his birthday, I tried to leave him small gifts so he didn't feel as alone but I could never take him with me. I tried so many times and he just grew to look more and more like M-minato," Jiraiya told her to everyone's shock.

_He-he was there for his birthdays? He left him gifts? He still has a lot to answer for, but maybe he did try his best_, Kushina thought to herself and sighed.

Then to everyone's disbelief Jiraiya produced a telescope and laid on the ground before Kushina. He had taken a lot of time to think about what he should do and how to correct the wrongs of his past and this was the one of the few things he truly valued in his life.

"I've had this spyglass sine I was eleven years old, it's one of the very few possessions that has meaning to me. I know I am not worthy to be Naruto's godfather but I'm willing to give up being a pervert if you'll let me have the opportunity to gain a second chance," Jiraiya told her.

Now, it was at this moment that everyone male in all of the elemental nations stopped whatever they were doing and felt as if a disaster were about to take place for male kind. Kakashi, being at the epicenter simply fainted right there at the thought of all the lost editions of _Icha Icha_ and the third hokage, in his home, was suddenly awakened by a feeling of intense dread and could be seen rushing toward the Namikaze district in a cloud of dust as his own pervert senses screaming at him in warning.

Kushina stared at the telescope and the white haired man before her who looked so weak and broken. Anyone who really knew Jiraiya knew that this telescope hadn't been used in many years but was one of the few prized possessions of Jiraiya's youth. He treasured it along with the photographs of him and his genin team and considered it more valuable than every volume of _Icha Icha _he had ever written.

She sighed again and as much as she wanted to remain angry at him, seeing him like this robbed her of the heat of her anger. She also saw Minato standing next to her whispering in her ear to please give him another chance, just like he had when she had caught him peeping on the women in the baths and had wanted to kill him for it. She could never refuse Minato when he gave her that innocent, naive look.

"Since I know you won't be able to keep that promise I'll let settle for you not corrupting my son with your perverted ideas. (the male population of the world let out a collective sigh of relief for an unknown reason) Get up Jiraiya, I'll make you pay for what you did later but I think it's time you finally were introduced to your Godson," Kushina told him as she rose.

"Hold up Kushina!" Tsunade suddenly cut in, "I come back and get my ass chewed out for not being here, but the old pervert shows up in tears and a sob story and he gets nothing? What the hell woman!"

"Trust me, he'll get what he has coming to him and you can help me since what I've got planned for him will be much more excruciating than what I have planned for you. At least your punishment will be beneficial," Kushina then chuckled darkly making Tsunade gulp and begin to sweat, "Don't worry I'm not going to kill, I just know Minato would have wanted him in Naruto's life."


	7. Announcements

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and this story is written for the fun and enjoyment of writing only.

Authors Note: Hi all, sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I had a some upheaval in my personal life which sadly resulted in a change of my relationship status and killed my drive to write for a while. Then when I finished this chapter about two weeks ago my beta got sick and hasn't gotten back to me but I figured when my beta does get back to me eventually I can repost if any major alterations are necessary and I couldn't hold the post back any longer.

I know this chapter is probably a bit more fluff than some might like but it is necessary for the plot and we'll be seeing more action from Naruto in the next chapter and his awaited return to the academy! Please review and let me know what you think! Reviews help me improve my writing. Oh, and for those who have also read and enjoy Jiraiya's Choice you'll be happy to learn I am currently also rewriting that story which I think is going to be much improved and I hope to have completed by April and reposted before continuing that story. Hope you all enjoy the chapter and I'm hard at work making sure chapter 8 comes out much faster than chapter 7!

**Chapter 7: Announcements**

It took several days before Jiraiya finally came around from his self-induced breakdown. In the end it was Naruto's presence and Tsunade's fist which restored the toad sage's senses. Once he had returned to his regular mind he set about to joining Kakashi working with Naruto while Tsunade joined Gai helping with Kushina's rehabilitation.

The old Kage sat in his office now, it was late evening, just around 7:00pm and it was almost three weeks since Kushina had made her return to the village and he knew this moment wouldn't wait any longer. With Jiraiya and Tsunade's return, Kushina would not wait a moment longer than necessary for him to call the village council together. Hiruzen took a long drag on his pipe as he felt his old body relax with his favorite guilty pleasure, well, aside from the collection of books he kept hidden in a secret drawer in his desk.

_To think it only took mere weeks for everything to change,_ the old hokage mused to himself.

There were still several matters other than Kushina's return on his mind. His ANBU had destroyed the root headquarters but failed to locate and either capture or kill Danzo. The children they had found also bothered him greatly. 243 children, ages 2-12, and all in varying states of ROOT brain washing, it would take years of psychological therapy to help some return to a normal mind. They had found several who looked to be from various clans in the village, all assumed previously dead, while the rest appeared to be orphans, the blood tests were still being run and a final report was due any day now. Most also had severe injuries ranging from completely debilitating to minor scrapes. He knew some would only have a chance of returning to a functioning life under Tsunade's care.

What also bothered him was learning that several had some unknown seals placed on their bodies. No one had been able to determine what the seals did but they appeared to be experiments of some kind and he knew only Jiraiya's skill could likely unravel their mystery.

The old Kage sighed again as he remembered a time when he only had to worry about enemies from outside the villages walls. He was fairly certain all of Danzo's lackey's had been located and dealt with, somewhat grateful that his two old teammates had not been among the list of secret supporters and double dealers.

Hiruzen was pulled from his thoughts as the door to his office opened and six people entered. He smiled as the blonde boy entered with an obvious scowl on his face. Naruto was currently dressed in white robes that completely covered his young body similarly to what the Hyuga clan head, Hiashi, would be wearing. The difference was that the sleeves had a woven flame pattern on them that spiraled around to cuffs of deep red and began at the shoulders which had also been dyed the same color. The robe also sported a spiral flame pattern on the back with dark that wove outwards to make the entire robe into a giant spiral of flame.

"Hey old man, don't laugh ok? My mom made me wear this thing! I told her it looked stupid without any orange but she said I had to cause I am the heir to my dad's clan," Naruto told him pouting while rolling his eyes making his mother sign and their friends grin at the boys antics.

"You look quite handsome Naru, and remember, you represent the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans now as their heir. You have to look the part ok?" Kushina told her son as she smiled down at his pouting face.

"Then why aren't you wearing anything special mom?" he accused her.

Kushina, unlike her son, was dressed in loose fitting black shinobi pants with a single broad red strip on the outside of each pant leg. Her hair was braided going down her back and her shirt was a long sleeve form fitting dark red, the color of blood, while she wore a black sleeveless jacket, similar in design to the chunin jacket Kakashi was wearing and on her feet were black shinobi boots and her hands had leather, fingerless gloves with dark metal plates on the back. In truth, Kushina looked more prepared for a battle than a council meeting.

She smirked, "Rank has its privileges," she told her son who snorted and pouted some more while Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune, and Kakashi (all dressed like normal) hid their snorts of laughter at the interactions of the two.

This particular argument had been going on since noon and involved several hours of shouting, chasing, traps, and much laughter from Tsunade, Kakashi, and Jiraiya (although they were in a different room so as to avoid being enlisted by either side).

**Flashback**

Kushina had finally caught her son and forced the robes onto his body. She noted the scowl on his face and she chuckled.

"See, you're already laughing at me!" Naruto pointed out with an accusatory glare.

"Not at all Naru, I was just thinking how handsome you look," and then added more quietly, "And how much you look like your father," she told him.

Naruto was quiet for a moment before responding, "Really? I look like him?"

Kushina nodded before getting on her knee and gently guiding his eyes so they met hers, "Naruto, I know you grew up alone and never had to worry about manners or clan etiquette and I know it's a lot to ask for you to change that part of yourself and I'd never ask you to change who you are, but you need to understand something. You're not just Naruto anymore, you're Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. Heir to the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans, the son of the Fourth Hokage, and with that comes a lot of expectation from people. I know how great you are just as you are and I'll always love you more than anything in this world son but sometimes we have to dress and act certain ways to keep the old fogies happy. The Namikaze and Uzumaki were never big on clan rules like the Hyuga or Uchiha but whenever your dad went to the council he always wore robes like these because he knew that looking the part was very important."

"The Namikaze and Uzumaki were very famous and respected clans and it's up to you to uphold that standard so many worked so hard to create. To a lot of old people dressing nice is a sign of respect for them and it can be used by shinobi to get people to let their guard down. Think of tonight as a practice mission and you have to get the council to accept you so they will reveal their secrets k?" she told him as the idea popped into her head.

Naruto nodded as his mom explained to him why dressing properly was important to the old council members before finally sighing in acceptance, "Ok mom, I'll make you proud!"

"You always make me proud no matter what Naru," Ksuhina told him with a hug.

**End Flashback**

Jiraiya chuckled and ruffled Naruto's hair as he spoke, "Don't worry kid, we won't be here long and I remember your dad complaining about those robes just like you. He always said they itched like crazy and threatened to ban them from use when he became clan head."

Naruto smiled up at Jiraiya, "I like dad's idea, when I'm clan head I'll make sure it gets done!" he told his godfather. Naruto had taken a liking to his godfather almost immediately upon his return, partly because he knew a lot of flashy jutsu but also because he freely told Naruto stories about his dad when he was his age.

"Well sensei, what do you say we get this show on the road?" Tsunade said as she began to get impatient.

_I hate politics…_ Tsunade thought to herself as she remembered being presented before the council many times in her past.

"Right, the council is assembled but do not know the reason for the early meeting," Sarutobi told Kushina who nodded in return before turning and following the old Kage out of his office and into the council chamber.

As Naruto and his new family entered the chamber his first impression was how dark the room seemed, kind of mysterious. The lamps on the walls did not seem to produce much light for the room's size, and the room was quite big, easily large enough to hold several hundred people if needed, although right now it only contained a roughly a little over two dozen all standing at a table. The table was long and was broken into three sections much like a U shape with a long strip open in the center, obviously to allow those presenting before the Hokage and council movement to speak directly before them with the end of the U, where the Hokage sat, on a raised platform giving him a higher vantage point.

Currently in the room were the clean heads of the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Sarutobi, with three empty seats marked for the Kurama, Uchiha, and Senju clans. Opposite the clans and the three empty chairs were the three shinobi elders, an empty chair were Danzo would normally have sat, Homura, Koharu, and the seven civilian district representatives. The three missing clans were voted by proxy representatives. The Hokage voting for the Kurama and Senju clans and Danzo having held control of the Uchiha clan seat until Sasuke became of age to take control of the seat.

As the Hokage took his seat the remaining councilors did the same, some giving passing glances to the Sannin, Kakashi, Kushina, and Naruto. While the civilian councilors may have disliked Naruto they were intelligent enough to know that Naruto was not the Kyubi, but merely the jailer of the beast. They, along with others, simply saw the boy as a scapegoat and an easy way to gain sway with their district constituents. The people hated the boy and what he carried within him so they made use of that hate to secure their positions of power. They were mostly greedy and power hungry and used the boy as a means to gain power for themselves, who cared if it ruined his life after all?

"This meeting has been called for a very specific reason, for the past ten years two clans were believed wiped out, gone without an heir or remaining descendant. Three weeks ago this day saw those clans returned to us." This announcement caused a buzz among the councilors.

"Before us today is Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze, wife of Minato Namikaze, my successor, the Fourth Hokage and last of the Namikaze clan. Beside her is her and Minato's son, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze." The hokage announcement had the affect of dropping a bomb in the middle of the council.

Once the councilors had a moment to adjust to the information they erupted in a roar of questions and confusion which the old Kage secretly enjoyed. Many different claims of deception and lies, calls for proof, and demands why this information was only now reaching the council exploded into a loud mass of yelling. The Hokage quickly tired of the councilors and within a moment restored order with a loud gavel before he motioned to Hiashi who had simply motioned to speak during the ruckus.

"Lord Hokage, I assume you have the documents to prove this claim or else you would not be making it. If this is true then we are indeed fortunate this day for the return of an heir of two powerful clans. However I must ask why were we not informed the Fourth had a child?"

_Hiashi is as slippery as ever,_ the old Kage thought, _in one sentence he stated his support, questioned my word, and even kissed up Kushina_.

There were several nods from other councilors at the question, "Simply for the safety of the child himself. Minato made many enemies during the third great ninja war and with both himself dead and his mother missing we were left with no other option than to hide his identity from everyone for his own safety."

Hiashi nodded to this as the political implications of this went through his mind, _The Namikaze and Uzumaki clans were each considered powerful in their own rights, and extremely wealthy. The boy will gain access to all of both clans resources. If we could marry into the clans we could possibly assimilate the clans through the boy we would gain their power, jutsu's, and political prestige. I must inform the elders of this situation upon my return, perhaps my eldest daughter will be of use after all._

Next to speak was Shibi Aburame in his quiet, monotone voice, "That is a logic reason for keeping the identity of the boy secret. Should Iwa or another village have determined his heritage they would have sought revenge for the Fourth's actions during the third great shinobi war."

Shikaku Nara was next to speak, following up after Shibi, "The one thing that I have to ask if where Kushina was and why she suddenly just appeared again. No offense Kushina, I'm happy to see you and all but your return like this is just, troublesome."

"Kushina was kidnapped from the hospital the day Naruto was born. We determined that ROOT shinobi under Danzo's direction, why he did this we are still attempting to determine. After determining that he could find nothing special about Kushina he placed her into a medically induced coma for future use in case Naruto ever turned against him. She developed a resistance to the drug and eventually regained consciousness where blind instinct took over and she managed to make her way to the Hokage Tower seeking safety."

As the comments continued several documents were passed down by the Hokage for the councilors to see as confirmation of both Kushina's marriage and Naruto's heritage. Most of the clan heads took the news in stride while several smiled openly at the news. The civilian counter-parts were not so happy knowing they had instigated many of the pains the boy had gone through in his life. The shinobi elders were rather detached as none of this really affected them.

"I also must inform you that Danzo has been found guilty of treason to Konoha, although the details are an S-Class secret currently. Danzo is now considered a missing-ninja and hunter teams have been dispatched to locate him and kill him immediately."

At this news the remaining two shinobi elders eyes widened realizing how close they may have come to conspiring with a traitor on many occasions. The rest of the council reacted to the news with more shouting and confusion. The clan heads took this in stride, although with some obvious anger of Tsume Inuzuka and an increased buzzing around Shibi. The civilians, Hiruzen noted, were quietly whispering to one another and passing notes. He narrowed his eyes and he decided to continue without leaving room for discussion on the matter.

"Now, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze has requested to address the council, a request I now grant," Hiruzen said as he motioned for Kushina to step forward.

Nodding her head to the old Kage Kushina walked up the tables of the council before stopping, a terrible fire taking light in her eyes, "I am Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze. When I came here I became the last of the Uzumaki Clan with the destruction of the whirlpool and my home. I had lost everything but in my time here in Konoha my cousins, the Senju, took me in and showed me I had a new home here in Konoha. I fought for this village, killed for it, made a life here and I eventually fell in love and became the wife to Minato Namikaze here." She began to turn to look upon each face of the clan heads, many who she had known for years before her disappearance.

"I believed Konoha to be a wonderful place that accepted everyone and upheld the virtues set forth by the First Hokage. Loyalty to comrades, acceptance of those different, the belief in the will of fire! I made friends here and looked forward to raising my family here. I felt I could sleep easy knowing my children would be safe and accepted here. Apparently I was wrong. Upon my return what did I find? My son, my little Naruto, living a life of hell in the village that I had thought would protect him."

Kushina's eyes narrowed as she began to look at the faces of the civilian councilors, "Fearing for himself, particularly on his birthday, due to groups of drunk civilians, requiring ANBU guards to protect his very life, being run out of stores, overcharged for rotten food and rusty equipment, purposely ill trained by the academy instructors in hopes he will die in the field, and that is just the start of the list of aggressive treatment by this village."

"Now, of course, why does this affect anyone of the council? Simple, the people don't act without leadership. So I began to wonder, how did my son become so hated so universally? How is it that every shop, every grocery, every bank, all of these institutions acting in a single mind against one individual? What are the chances? So we started going over old ANBU reports and what did we find you might be asking. The civilian councilors of in this room using prejudice which already existed, stoking the flames against my son, giving back room deals for contracts to get shops to refuse him, trying to hide their foot prints. Sorry to say, you live in a ninja village, it is not so easy to hide your fingerprints from ANBU assigned to guard a child. And I have hundreds of files reporting these incidents!"

She stopped for a moment turning her glare and releasing killer intent upon the entire council. While the clan heads were only slightly affected their civilian counterparts shuddered in fear as they felt the brunt of her anger. It was obvious who Kushina placed the majority of the blame on for these actions.

"My Son, the Son of Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash and Fourth Hokage! The Heir to the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans! And you DENIED HIM HIS HERITAGE! YOU TREATED HIM LIKE TRASH! HOW DARE YOU PASS JUDGMENT UPON HIM FOR SOMETHING HE HAD NO CONTROL OVER YOU BASTARDS! WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT! WHO APPOINTED YOU TO CONTROL MY SON'S FATE! I AM TEMPTED TO DEMAND PAYMENT OF THESE INSULTS IN THE FORM OF YOUR LIVES!" Her eyes obtained an unholy fire as her rage was stoked, she roared at the council, killer intent leaking from her very being to become an oppressive blanket which started to suffocate those under its direct path.

Several of the clan heads began to worry at the final statement, they were well aware that demanding death for a clan insult was extreme but within a clans rights.

Naruto looked at his godfather, who was standing next to him, at the statements his mother was making and was about to ask what she was talking about his Jiraiya motioned for him to remain quiet and winked at him.

Taking a deep breath to bring herself under control she continued glaring at the council before making her greatest threat, "I have half a mind to uproot the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans, which I had moved here after its destruction in whirlpool, and see if Suna or Kumo might enjoy having access to the clan who holds the Hiraishin technique, Rasengan, or perhaps the sealing mastery not seen since the sage of the six paths held by the Uzumaki clan, not to mention the entire wealth, prestige, and power associated with our clans, and the entire Namikaze district is moveable by my son to anywhere he wishes."

The faces of the council paled at the threat, they knew that the accounts of those two clans made up well over 57% of the current hard funds and investment in the entire village. Their removal would bankrupt the village! Then on top of that some of the most powerful jutsu's ever seen including the Hiraishin and seals of the Uzumaki and Namikaze would drastically shift the balance of power in the shinobi world.

"Obviously, my son has a love for this village, much like his father, despite the stupidity in this village. Therefore I'll make this short. This council will apologize publicly for the insults given to both the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans. We shall receive written letters of apology from each of you and the civilian councilors will be dismissed from their positions and new elections will be held at the convenience of the Hokage. I am well aware that you were the ones who planned and worked behind the scenes to hold my son as a scapegoat for everything that went wrong in this village. You barely hid your actions and those who would use a child to advance themselves do not deserve to hold such an esteem position. I also want 30 million Ryu in compensation to the Uzumaki, Namikaze, and Senju clans for the insult given to the clan heir and cousins of these clans."

As Kushina dictated each term the councilors grew angrier and angrier. How dare she order them to do such a thing! How dare she demand they give up their positions and power! To PAY for merely using some child to advance themselves! Didn't she know to whom she was speaking? They were the council, even if she was the wife of Minato Namikaze and that brat was his son they were in charge! Not her!

"These demands are outrageous!" one screamed, "I will never give up my position!" another yelled, "That is 90 million Ryu, the village can't afford to pay that much!" a third stated.

"And who were you to turn an entire village against one child for your own games? Even now you show no guilt for your actions, you simply cry at being caught. Every day shinobi go out and are forced to accept the consequences of their actions, and now you will do the same!" Jiraiya told them with a cold glare silencing several of the quieter civilian councilors and receiving mild approval from several clan heads.

"Who are you make such demands upon us! We are the council, and you are just some whore the fourth fancied! I doubt he even ever meant to marry you, I bet you just got pregnant and forced him to marry you using that bastard as a bargaining chip!" A particularly nasty female councilor said before realizing she had gone too far.

It took less than a moment for everyone to realize Kushina had the woman by her throat, "If it isn't little Naomi Haruno. Who did you have to screw to get your spot on the council?" Kushina told her as she slowly tightened her grip around the woman's throat cutting her oxygen and voice, "I remember you chasing Minato all over the village, just like how I hear your daughter chases the Uchiha. Minato loved me dearly and I loved him more than anything you will ever realize you bitch," Kushina's grip was slowly tightened further as the pink haired woman's face began to change colors.

Tsunade placed a hand on Kushina's shoulder, lightly pulling her away from the woman, letting her drop to the floor.

"Minato wouldn't want you to stain your hands with her blood Kushina, she isn't worthy of such a death," Tsunade told her, although as Kushina nodded and turned to move back to the her original position everyone heard a loud crash and witnesses a gigantic hole in the wall where Naomi Haruno had original been, "But I never said anything about him being upset with me for giving that bitch what she deserved for insulting my cousin." She told them before smiling sweetly, making everyone in the room nervous. "Does anyone else have a comment to make about my godson and cousin?"

The remaining members of the civilian council wisely chose to remain silent as Tsunade returned to her place between Naruto and Shizune, although several still look rebellious.

Shikaku Nara shook his head, "Troublesome, these demands may be a bit far but most are not beyond reason. The Namikaze and Uzumaki clans were always honorable clans and fought for many years for this village. The actions of this village shame itself and require some sort of compensation. She also brings up good points of what we stand to lose if we don't agree. The loss of the Hiraishin, seals, clan techniques, and money, not to mention the prestige would send a clear signal of weakness to entire shinobi world. I, for one, say we accept at least the first portion, get the apologies over with and move on. I know the civilian councilors will understand that this is for the best of the village and willingly make such a sacrifice." He did manage not to smile too much at the final comment, although what smile escaped was not lost on the civilian councilors.

"However, 90 million Ryu is a bit troublesome Kushina. Can you at least make a demand that's not quite so high? Troublesome woman," Shikaku finished.

"Unfortunately I must agree with Shikaku and the council, 90 million Ryu is rather extreme Kushina," the old Kage stated already knowing her plan.

"Perhaps, but what price can you put upon such treatment of a child? What if was your own child who you returned to find had been treated as such?" Kushina stated with a clear, cold voice.

"Can we come to a mid-way point," Choza Akamichi said, speaking for the first time, "how about a monetary compensation, let us say 10 million Ryu for each clan, and we can pass a law that would forbid such action in the future?"

"Choza, such a law already existed and did nothing to stop what happened to my son, do you think I am going to sit by and let it possibly happen again without the village feeling the full repercussion of their actions?" Kushina said.

"However, I am not unreasonable. Therefore, if all other demands of compensation are met, then I will lower my demand for monetary compensation to 15 million Ryu," Kushina said.

"It is logical that a village would be forced to pay some form of compensation when such an insult has been given to a prestigious clan. Were this the Uchiha or Hyuga there would be little question that such compensation would be necessary. Therefore it is only logical that the Uzumaki and Namikaze would receive such compensation. I only disagree with the cousins of the Uzumaki, the Senju, also demanding money." Shibi stated.

Hiashi raised a single eyebrow to Shibi's comment but refrained from denying the truth of his word. Had his own daughter borne the brunt of such an insult for so long he would likely have demanded even more than Kushina had. What Hiashi didn't understand was why Kushina's demands were so reasonable and low key.

_Unless this isn't about insults or demands, it's about the council. Kushina wants to remove the civilian councilors! But why? What would she gain from their removal when they are only to be replaced in a few months?_ Hiashi's thoughts were occupied by this new revelation. She had not attacked the clan heads at all and an apology from the councilor of the Hyuga was not an apology by the Hyuga clans and could be used furthermore to establish possible negotiations with Kushina if the clan sought a marriage arrangement. Hiashi's thoughts remained occupied for most of the meeting wondering what Kushina stood to gain from her demands of the council.

"The Senju will withdraw its demand for compensation so long as everything else is accepted," Tsunade said, already having decided ahead of time that this would take place.

It was simple really, they threw out a list of demands beyond what the civilian council would normally accept and would typically use their votes to block, then a massive monetary demand following the other demands. The council would immediately latch onto the monetary sum, then Kushina would use that monetary demand to get them to agree to the other demands, thus ending any power the civilian council had in the village for a time and allowing the third Hokage a chance to restore the power of the Hokage that the civilian council had slowly been attempting to take for themselves. Neither clan needed the money, it was simply a ploy to get the civilian councilors dismissed and the council's formal, public apology to Naruto.

In short order Kushina had what she wanted along with the extra 30 million Ryu. The civilian councilors lacked the votes to stop the demands from passing without Danzo and Naomi still unconscious from being thrown through the wall, and the clan heads and shinobi elders cared little if they lost their seats.

"There is also the matter of the clan seats of the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans. I would like both of them reinstated with myself as representative of the Uzumaki clan and my acting as proxy for the Namikaze until my son is old enough."

Hiashi frowned at this, "If you married the Fourth you joined his clan, the Uzumaki clan wouldn't get a seat on the council Kushina."

Sarutobi also frowned, "He is correct Kushina, unless there is a legitimate heir I cannot agree to giving the Uzumaki a seat on the council. But you do have the right as clan head for the Namikaze."

Kushina nodded her acceptance, knowing she would be pushing her luck to try and get that seat, before withdrawing back to her son and friends while ignoring the death glares of the civilian councilors aimed at her back.

_That's what you bastards get for messing with my family!_ She thought to herself.

The remainder of the council meeting proceeded quickly with little else to discuss and the civilian council grumbling but lacking either the votes or support to alter the circumstances of Kushina's demands.

After the meeting Kushina and Naruto left with Kakashi and Shizune before they could be cornered by any of the clan heads. Kushina wanted to avoid having to play politics or any attempts to arrange political marriages for a while longer. Sarutobi asked Jiraiya and Tsunade to remain behind.

"I know you're both here to help Kushina and Naruto but I need your help with something as well…" he started off but was interrupted by Tsunade.

"Sensei, whatever it is will have to wait, I came here for Kushina and Naruto, nothing more," she informed him to which Jiraiya nodded his agreement.

Sarutobi scowled for a moment, "Listen, you're both active ninja under my command. And I am asking this as your friend and sensei, I don't want to have to make this an order, but it's too important to let wait so please, just hear me out."

The two Sannin glared at their teacher but remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"As you know, we raided Danzo's ROOT base. Inside we found 243 children he had stolen from either clans or orphanages. Many are severely injured and will require your help or else will probably live the rest of their lives disfigured and disabled. Also, many contain seals which we have never seen before. Most appear to be experiments placed on the subject once they proved useless from training. I need you to help them with the seal removals and rehabilitation."

Jiraiya shook his head, "Sensei, I'm sorry for what has happened to those children but I spent ten years of my life running away, leaving my godson alone to fend for himself, and he is my first priority. If the seals aren't hurting them now then they probably can wait while I spend my time with my godson. Have someone make a design copy and send it to me, I'll look it over while I am helping to train Naruto."

Sarutobi nodded his acceptance of Jiraiya's offer and turned his head to Tsunade.

Tsunade nodded at her old sensei, "Naruto and Kushina are my first priority. Shizune will be able to help with the rehabilitation in my place though and I trust her completely. If there is an emergency then I will come but otherwise I am here to be with the last of my family."

Hiruzen nodded, "I'll have them send you the information on the seals so you can look at it when you have free time Jiraiya, and thank you Tsunade."

With that the two sannin nodded to their sensei and left the office through the side window. The old Kage sighed as he leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew that things were simply going to become more complicated now that the civilian councilors had to be reelected and Kushina and Naruto's heritage was to be made public knowledge tomorrow.

With one last sigh his hand automatically opened the secret panel under his desk and retrieved his latest gold issue of _Icha Icha_. Now was time for Sarutobi Hiruzen to relax before the coming storm as perverted giggles flooded his now empty office.

**Hyuga Compound an hour after the council meeting**

The elders of the Hyuga sat in silence as Hiashi entered and took his seat at the front of the room. The hour was late and the elders were curious as to what caused Hiashi's summons directly after the council meeting. Normally they were informed at the regular clan meeting of the actions taken by the council, something important must have happened for Hiashi to feel the need to summon them tonight.

The room in which they sat was the large meeting room within the Hyuga clan compound. It lit by candles along the walls which gave an eerie glow in the late night. The elders were separated into two sides, the main branch being in front, seated on padded pillowed before the raised dais the clan head sat upon. The branch elders were relegated toward the rear of the room where they sat on simple mats.

"Kushina Uzumaki has been found," Hiashi told them. The elders did not react to this news, they were Hyuga and while it was surprising, they refused to show it. It was considered a failure as a Hyuga to show express to such simply news. Their emotions would always remain neutral at all times, to lose control was considered a breach of honor for the Hyuga involved.

Kushina Uzumaki, was a well known figure to many of the elders. Several had helped engineer the plan after the destruction of her native village in whirlpool to have her married to a clan member. Their attempt had failed when she had laughed in the face of the clan member they had sent to court her.

"Furthermore, she has been revealed as the wife of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage," Hiashi stated. This time the eyes of several of the elders widened as they found this news… unsettling, to say the least. But otherwise little reaction could be seen. However they all knew what this simply statement meant, Kushina Uzumaki would have access to both the Uzumaki clan and the Namikaze clan accounts and prestige. Several began to wonder if they might be able to arrange a marriage with her, she was, after all, a widow.

Hiashi waited a moment to let the elders digest this information before continuing, "It has also been found that Minato and Kushina had a son, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, as he is now to be known. The Hokage will be making the announcement of their heritage tomorrow."

At this news one of the elders could no longer restrain themselves, "What? Are you saying the kyubi brat is the heir to the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans?"

Hiashi nodded to the elder. The Hyuga were not among Naruto's friends growing up. While the clan had always tried to maintain close ties with the Namikaze many of their family had died the night of the Kyubi attack and it left the survivors bitter toward the boy. While the elders did not show open hatred, such things were beneath them, it did not stop them from ignoring the growing problems the boy faced in his life or turning a blind eye when they saw him in need of help. While they may not have contributed actively, they contributed through inaction.

After the initial outburst the elders of the Hyuga quieted to consider the situation until one of their number broached the subject they all were contemplating, "This could affect our standing among the village. With the Uchiha all but gone and the Senju clan dispersed among the populace we are undoubtedly most prominent clan of Konoha, but with the return of a combined heir to both the Namikaze and Uzumaki it will no doubt adversely affect our control and prestige. The financial power alone will be far greater than ours. We must find a way to turn this to our advantage!"

"I have already considered this," Hiashi informed the elders, "The last time this clan attempted to gain control of either the Uzumaki or Namikaze clans it failed. The failure was not with the idea of marriage between our clans, and then eventual absorption of their offspring, but with the method used. We were to bold with our intentions. By sending clan members to the target and announcing our intention we placed them on guard and they were able to refuse us without giving it a second thought. We must learn from such lessons now. I suggest we are a much more quiet method. My daughter, Hinata, may not be a worthy clan heir but she is in the same class as the boy. She is quiet and shy, qualities which make her unfit for a clan heir, but which would place Kushina Namikaze off-guard. I think it best to have her befriend and gain the boy's trust first, lead him into a willing union he would choose, and then we could absorb his clan without them every realizing," Hiashi told the elders as he outlined his plan to have his eldest daughter used to gain control over the potential rival to the Hyuga.

This met with resounding approval from the Hyuga as several nodded and one or two even showed signs of a smile at the thought of gaining access to the power, prestige, and wealth of the rival clans. Others inwardly rejoiced at finding a use for the first born daughter of Hiashi.

Not all in the room were as happy with the plan Hiashi had outlined. Several of the branch elders in the room however maintained their reserve as their thoughts turned to worry. The branch family found Hinata to be a perfect heir to their clan. She was kind and quiet and treated them well. Hinata also hated the caged seal that kept them in servitude and was considered their best chance at ending the caged bird seal once and for all. If this plan was successful she would never become clan head and they, in turn, would lose their best chance at freedom.

However, if either side could see what Hiashi was thinking they would have been shocked, _Congratulate yourselves while you can you old fools! You have toyed with my family long enough_, Hiashi thought, _my daughter will NOT be used in your political games. I will fulfill my promise to her mother!_

**Konoha Ninja Academy the following day**

Hyuuga Hinata once again walked into class 3-A of the academy. It had been three weeks since Naruto had disappeared from the academy. No one had seen or heard from him since the day the red haired woman and the Hokage had taken him at lunch. It was as if he had completely disappeared.

Hinata sighed to herself and took her usual seat in the back of the room as she watched the other students enter. Of the students at the academy only a handful really stood out and they were mostly from the clans of the village. She allowed her head to sink down to the desk she was at as she watched the last of the students enter and once again Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

Hinata barely listened as their sensei droned on about chakra manipulation and the history of the village. She had visited Naruto's apartment and found it completely empty, he was never at any of his normal training fields, and even the Ichiraku Ramen stand hadn't seen him. She was beginning to wonder if he had run away but when she had asked Iruka Sensei about it he had told her Naruto was away dealing with personal matters he could not discuss with her.

Before she knew it the class was over and they had been dismissed. Class had ended early today because of a special announcement that was being made by the Hokage. Hinata sighed to herself as she left the classroom and her eyes automatically watched the floor as she exited the academy building to meet her escort home. The branch member smiled gently at the young Hyuga Heiress and motioned for her to quicken her pace.

"Lady Hinata, we must hurry to meet your father at the Tower with the elders. It would be unseemly for you to be late for the Hokage's announcement," the branch member reminded her as they set a brisk walk toward the Hokage Tower.

"Y-yes Toa, I-I'm s-s-sorry," Hinata responded just barely managing to meet his eyes.

In short time Hinata and the branch member escort arrived at the tower and joined her father who turned a slight glare at his eldest daughter without a greeting.

"I-I ap-pologize f-for be-being l-late father," she told him with a bow while inwardly cursing herself at her stutter.

Hiashi made no response to his eldest daughter, hardly acknowledging her presence, and returned his gaze upon the balcony where the Hokage was walking out from his office to address the people from.

The Third Hokage raised his hands for silence as the gathered masses of Konoha looked on. Obviously this was only a small portion of the village as many were unable to be at the announcement, but thousands had still managed to make it and they would be the messengers to bear witness to what the Hokage would say this day.

The crowd was silent as their leader addressed them, "People of Konoha. I am proud to stand before you today to welcome back what was once thought to the annals of history. Many of you remember our beloved Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Ten years ago he gave his life for us to protect this village and with his death we thought lost to us the Namikaze Clan Bloodline forever. I am here today to inform you that we are fortunate to learn that this was not so! Our beloved Fourth Hokage married in secret, his wife's name kept from all for her own protection and the protection of his child from the enemies the Fourth had gained through his life! Today I proclaim the return of the Namikaze clan! One of the most noble and powerful clans to ever exist in the Shinobi world! May I present to you Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze! Wife of Minato Namikaze, Fourth Hokage, and her son, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, the son of the Fourth Hokage and heir to the Namikaze clan!"


	8. MiniUpdate: Konoha's Political Structur

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and this story is written for enjoyment and not money making.

Author's note: Hello all! I am hard at work getting ready to publish the next chapter of Uzumaki Sunrise and working to complete my rewrite of Jiraiya's Choice. A few days ago I started trying to get some notes down about the political structure and organization of Uzumaki Sunrise and, after reading a comment from **MadmanTobz** about enjoying the political game of the story, I thought you all might like a mini-update explaining the political structure of Uzumaki Sunrise.

Author's Note Cont.: Before anyone asks this political structure has NOTHING to do with the canon (manga or anime). It is my own personal creation for how the village's political power is distributed for the story of Uzumaki Sunrise. If this isn't something you'd be interested in you don't have to read it since it is not part of the main story arc at all but just some background I thought you all might enjoy since I typically find this stuff interesting. I'll have the next chapter out soon and I think you'll enjoy it immensely. Until then, please enjoy my mini-update!

**Mini-Update: Konoha's Political Structure**

I wanted to give you guys an idea of the way I feel the political structure of the Konoha is in this story. There are three primary political groups. There are no 'party' affiliations, more like loose alliances of council members. Before I go into details about the actual groups I want to explain that I envision Konoha as being set up into multiple districts, in my mind somewhere around 7 total districts. Each district elects one civilian member to the council as their voice and representative in council matters. The civilian representatives originally were there to provide input of the civilian side of the village and bring complaints and requests for their district to the Hokage. Over the years, particularly in the chaos after the Kyuubi attack and emergency sessions during the Great Shinobi Wars, the civilians saw opportunities to increase their power and pressed for votes to grant them that power.

With the third hokage aging and the shinobi elders and Danzo often leading them, they have been partially successful, at least to the point where they were beginning to cause problems for the Hokage and attempting to carve into his sphere of power, a position they were never intended to take. The clans live within the districts of Konoha, sometimes more than one clan lives in the same district, such as the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akamichi who all live together in separate clan compounds but within the same district. There are only a few clans which have their own districts including: the Uchiha, Senju, and Namikaze. Even the Hyuuga are said to live in a compound, not a district. This is because, as founding clans, the Uchiha and Senju were given special consideration during the creation of the village itself and requested their own districts (which were fortified), partially, for their own protection against one another (no trust among former enemies after all) thus there is no 8th, 9th, or 10th district because the Uchiha were wiped out and no civilians ever lived there and the Senju and Namikaze districts are closed off. The other clans were granted large compounds within their districts. The Senju, like the Uchiha, also have a district of their own but it is sealed off now to all but Tsunade. The Senju were never wiped out the way some assume, they merely merged with the average Konoha populace rather than remain a connected clan like the Nara or Uchiha. The Namikaze originally lived in a clan compound but now have their own district because their space-time jutsu allowed them to move their compound and a significant portion of the surrounding area into the space-time bubble. To do this without disrupting many civilians living near the Namikaze compound they purchased all of the surrounding land, businesses, homes, etc. before they placed the area into the bubble, thus creating the Namikaze district.

Now as I said there are three main political powers in Konoha. The first being the Hokage who rules the entire village. The Hokage has final say in everything that happens and maintains complete control and loyalty of the shinobi forces. In council meetings it is the Hokage who will have the final decision, despite the voting of the clan heads and civilian representatives. Although isn't seen often where the Hokage will overrule the council. He has veto power over any and all laws or requests made by the council, village, and clans. All foreign representation power (declaring war, signing peace treaties, etc) resides within the Hokage. Pretty much the Hokage seat is the source of all power in the village.

The next political group is the civilian councilors. The civilian councilors, or representatives, as they were originally known, are elected representatives from the districts of Konoha. Their original purpose was to provide a voice for the civilians to the hokage and clans within the village leadership structure. It worked well during the reigns of the first and second hokage's but as the village grew so did the necessary requirements on the hokage and many civilian councilors began to believe they deserved more power in the village than their position originally afforded them.

Over time the civilian representatives have managed to begin to steal power from the Hokage including the settings of budgets in their districts, appointing of civilian civil servants, and in collection of taxes. These are just examples of powers that originally the Hokage held which the civilian councilors have managed to take under the guise of running the civilian side of the village and decreasing the weight on the Hokage. But in fact this was granting increasing power to the civilian councilors which they were never intended to have. They now collected taxes, which many would skim the top off of for their private use, had power to appoint many jobs, set the budgets, sign contracts for their districts, etc. I could go on but the fact is the civilian councilors were slowly gaining power over the village and within the political structure, small bites here and there, under the guise of 'helping' the Hokage by decreasing his workload and performing the function of civilian representatives.

The final group of power in Konoha are the clan heads. The clan heads hold power to introduce legislation and laws to the council and hokage. They are mostly involved in the shinobi part of Konoha with only smaller interaction with the civilian side. The clans live in large family compounds, such as the Hyuuga, where their entire family lives together. Compounds differ drastically between clans depending greatly on the personality and preference of the clan and what they like and need. Consider the Nara's who have a large forest connected to their compound where they care for their deer while the Hyuuga have a stylized mansion compound.

Clan members are expected to give a portion of their income to the clan account which provides maintenance of the compound, food for the clan, pays medical fees, etc. Typically this can range from anywhere between 20% to 100% of the clan members income. Now it is not unheard of, nor unusual, for a clan member to move out and live on their own and most clans don't mind this. Some, however, are very restrictive and frown heavily on members who choose to live outside the compound though. They do this by refusing the clan member access to the clan account, refusing to pay for medical fees, refusing them access to clan libraries or training grounds, etc. Clans have very broad power granted for actions within the clans exempting the from village law. So long as the clan traditions or clan law does not affect civilians or outsiders the clan has more or less free reign within their walls with few exceptions being the overarching village laws. Thus why the Hyuuga can continue their use of the caged bird seal.

Clans have tremendous power in the village. They have massive clan accounts and provide a large portion of the local income generation through the orders of materials, food, replacement training gear, etc. One clan, such as the Inuzuka, could conceivable keep a third of the butchers in Konoha in business on their own with their monthly orders of meat or the Hyuuga who buy more hair products than any other group in the entire village. If a clan wants to affect their district they simply switch their contracts and spending, thus they have a large effect on the economic status within their district. The clans also make up the backbone of Konoha's shinobi force as approximately 40% of the entire force, currently in use, is from the clans. In the past, before the loss of the Uchiha, Namikaze, and the weakening of other clans such as the Kurama, the clans made up as much as 60-70% of Konoha's shinobi force. Typically clan heads do not get involved in politics within Konoha because they are busy running their own clans or being active shinobi or raising their own families. They primarily focus their time and attention on the shinobi aspect of the village and working with the Hokage on specific missions and village security.

The clan heads and civilian councilors are not big fans of one another. Clan heads do not vote as a bloc the way the civilian councilors do but 99 times out of 100 most of the clan heads vote the same way. The civilian councilors dislike the clan heads because of the power they have over their districts, the prestige the clans represent, and the power that the clan heads wield as the heads of their clans within the council. Clan heads often regard civilian councilors as untrustworthy and political snakes, strange that many clan heads also regard the Hyuuga in the same manner, and will often oppose the civilian councilors attempts to gain more influence in the village. Some clan heads will side with the civilian councilors at times but typically they simply view the world very differently due to their different experiences and responsibilities.

For those wondering about the Shinobi elders, they have a vote each but otherwise their duty is only to advise the Hokage and the council through use of their age and wisdom. That has not stopped them from maneuvering behind the scenes to influence events, often either using or working with either the clan heads or the civilian councilors. Alone, however, the only true power they have is the respect granted to them by their position and venerable age, once that is used up they have no other true authority other than their single vote.

I hope you all enjoyed this short view into the political world I have created for this story. Once again, this is NOT the political structure of the actual manga or anime but a creation of my own design for this particular story. These are more or less my own notes so the grammar might not be at its normal level but I hope you enjoyed it though and the next chapter should be out very soon!


	9. Reactions

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto would have talked to Hinata after her confession!

Author's Note: Hello Everyone! And now for the reaction of the village and a few changes for Naruto, I had hoped to include Naruto's return to the Academy in this chapter but I felt like I had reached a good stopping point here. Also I have exams and a big paper due in the next few weeks so I might be a bit late in my next update until after them. I want to also apologize for the lateness on this chapter. I actually had it finished and ready to go but 's servers are having issues with their upload/story updater and I had to wait on them to fix that before I could update.

**ShadowCub: ****I thought that the hokage position was like the shogun of the village, the ninja village is under military dictatorship.****  
****That is why I never understood this the council kept me from helping Naruto. He could have but he chose not to.**

Edaar: Well, basically the way I look at the Hokage position is very similar with the start of the village. In the beginning the Hokage was the military dictator and controlled everything but over time, with the wars and such, as the village grew and new systems were needed to deal with the growing populations power got divided out slowly. In this case the civilian councilors collectively worked to vote as a bloc to get more power whenever they could, such as between Hokage's when the council was in charge. I believe, and this does not hold for my story, that during the period of time after the death of the third and before Tsunade took over, they passed several pieces of legislation granting themselves veto power over the Hokage. Something they couldn't have done if the Hokage was there, but that's just a guess at an explanation for how the council could block the Hokage.

**Chris: ****I was wondering if you would give naruto the rinnegan since nagato had it and he was a uzumaki it could be a uzumaki seceret that only a few could ever accomplish and are you going to use the kage bushin training and when will your loyal readers more naruhina and how will you deal with kushina and mikoto as friends will she be upset or what also i think kushina could have been more dark with her demands to the council and i think that she should go to every store restaurant etc that kushina and minato owned that refused naruto and fire them or worse.**

Edaar: At this time I have no plans to give Naruto the Rinnegan in this story. And more NaruHina will be coming very soon, this chapter is a set up for that actually. And trust me, Kushina is far from done with her revenge, and those continued plans involve fire, lightning, and a one eyed old friend Muhahaha.

**Hektols: You should add a fourth power that actually exists in the original story, I'm talking about the jonins. They are the elite ninja of the village and they can overrule the election of a Hokage. If they wanted they could remove the Hokage from power, technically he is just the first among them.**

Edaar: I considered them but I don't see them as an active political power in the village. They are more a reserve element that steps in if things just get so bad they have no other choice.

**McGeezel: Awesome story. Love having Kushina around in Naruto's life. Pretty well written, can't complain about anything really. Is this going to focus on the life and relationships only? Or are we going to see some training and jutsus and Naruto kicking ass. I like how canon has been thrown away. too many stories make a big change, Kushina alive, but try to force canon into the story, Keep them chapters coming. Thanks for sharing.**

Edaar: Yep, I had planned to add more jutsu's and some action this chapter but it'll be coming next chapter instead, this one just felt like it had a good stopping point. I don't like stories where Naruto goes from being an idiot from the canon to super-man in 2 months with no reason other than maybe the Kage Bushin. So I try to give some foundation for his growth and strength but with Kakashi and Jiraiya training him he's going to move along quickly.

**Chapter 8: Reactions**

As the words left the third Hokage's mouth, his voice drifted through the air and into the ears of the petite lavender eyed girl as a single line of thoughts suddenly ran through her mind and her body was sent into shock at the pronouncement of her crushes heritage.

_Naruto…_

Her eyes began to widen.

_Fourth Hokage's Son…_

Her body tensed up and her blood pressure began to rise.

_Namikaze Heir…_

Her eyebrows rose to her hairline.

_Naruto…_

A blush rose to her cheeks.

_NARUTO UZUMAKI-NAMIKAZE!_

The shock could not have had more affect if someone had struck Hinata with a bolt of lightning. The full force of what the Hokage had said settled on the girl. Naruto was the heir to a clan which rivaled her owns in prestige and power, he was the son of a kage, but most importantly, this meant maybe, just maybe, her family would accept him and her together. Well, that was if she could speak to her crush without fainting. The following images of her and Naruto on dates, holding hands, even kissing flashed through her mind and these thoughts were too much for the young girl to handle, unconsciousness took hold and she fainted to the ground only to be caught by Tao before she hit the dirt.

Her father, in a rare moment of expression, looked over and let out an exasperated sigh before motioning her accompanying branch member to return her home.

_They seriously expect her to seduce the boy?_ Hiashi thought to himself as he remembered how easily the elders had agreed to his plan, _I should find out if someone has been spiking the elder's drinks again._

Not a single member of the Hyuga clan took notice of the smile small on their clan heir's face as Tao removed her from the scene.

As Hinata was taken from away from the tower the object of her silent affections felt his heart begin to race and his pulse quicken as his nervousness grew exponentially. Everything would change with this one moment. Nothing would be the same ever again. There was no turning back, he would never be 'just Naruto' again.

Naruto looked at the ground as he felt the weight of everything that was happening around him. It seemed to swallow him up as he tried to steady his breathing. He had no real control over any of it. At first it was all so simple, so easy, his mom had come back and he was happy. Happier than he had ever been before in his life, it was like a dream he didn't want to wake up from. And then auntie Tsunade had come and his new big sister Shizune and his godfather Jiraiya. Even Kakashi and Gai were part of his family now. His world had changed so much in the past few weeks.

Yet Naruto was also slowly beginning to understand the other part of the change. The way his godfather and Kakashi had talked about his dad, how he saw their unsaid expectation of greatness for him reflected in their eyes. How his auntie and big sister kept mentioning the resemblance with his dad. Naruto was many things but stupid wasn't one of them. Sure, he might not pay attention all the time but that didn't mean he wasn't intelligent. He knew what this moment meant, it meant he wasn't Naruto Uzumaki anymore, it was the moment he became Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. And with that simple change he would carry an enormous burden of being his father's son.

He had always shouted to anyone who would listen he would become Hokage. And inside he truly wanted to bring that promise to reality. But having people place their faith and expectation on him was something utterly alien to Naruto. The only one who had ever thought he could do it was the old man and even he seemed to be placating him half the time. But now it was different, people were expecting him to do something great and it placed a pressure on him he had never felt before. He wasn't entirely sure how to react to it and with this simple act of stepping forward he would have the expectation of the entire village on him, they would all be watching his every move, criticizing his every action, every mission he took would be gossiped about and, deep down, the thought of letting those expectations down frightened him.

As his nervousness increased Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up as his mother smiled down at him. Her deep, red hair was braided down her back and she looked like the morning sun to the little boy. She looked at him with a gentle, loving smile that only a mother could have for her child. It comforted him in a way he never knew possible before. It set all his fears to rest and gave him an inner strength and confidence he had not known he had. Her eyes were a beautiful violet and filled with warmth and a promise he would never be alone again. The simple gesture of her hand, so warm on his shoulder, that smile so loving, and her eyes so filled with warmth was so steadying to him and instantly reminded Naruto he would never be alone again.

Kushina, his mom, would always be there for him. She had come back from the dead, as Naruto saw it, just for him. She was there when he went to bed and was making breakfast when he woke up. She was everything he could have ever hoped a mom would be, and she was _his_ mom. Not someone acting like a mom, she was really his mom and she loved him no matter what. She had held him close the first night in the big mansion when he was nervous about sleeping in the huge, quiet place. She had kissed his forehead every night before he fell asleep. She had almost killed a councilor for just verbally attacking him. She loved him.

As Naruto smiled at his mother he saw the rest of his family smiling at him. His aunt and Gai were standing there smiling at him, Gai was even giving him a big thumbs up in his, 'nice guy' pose. Shizune was waving and motioning for them to walk out to let the crowd see them. No one was quite sure when Naruto had appointed Shizune as his sister, but they simply let it go, and it seemed to make Shizune happy. Finally Kakashi and his godfather were standing with his mother and him. Kakashi was on Kushina's side and Jiraiya was next to Naruto to escort them out.

As the third hokage finished his short speech Naruto felt his legs begin to move forward, his mother's hand still on his shoulder. The Hokage stood to the side as Kushina and Naruto walked into the light of the balcony upon which he had stood alone mere moments before. Kushina had chosen to wear the formal robes of the Namikaze clan head, basically the same thing as the robes Naruto had worn to the council meeting only bigger, and Naruto, who had been persuaded by a promise of ramen, to wear the robes of the clan heir. And as they walked forward, in truth, unsure the response they would get, the last Namikaze saw thousands of people, mostly shinobi, staring at them.

As Kushina and Naruto entered the view of the assembled mass a great cry went up, "FOR THE LEGACY OF THE FOURTH!" and the assembled shinobi began to cheer the sight of the son and wife of their hero. Many knew who Naruto Uzumaki was, some had been the ones to catch him during his pranking spree's while others had guarded him in his crib. Snippets of conversations could be heard, "I remember feeding that kid as a baby when I was a genin!" "I caught the kid when he put that paint bomb in the teacher lounge," "Doesn't he look like the fourth?" "HA! I knew Kushina and Minato were dating, only the Fourth could get a woman like that!" and more and more comments could be heard from the gathered shinobi. Unlike the civilians the shinobi had always known the child was not a demon, their training with seals taught them that much, but to learn that he was, in fact, the son of their hero brought home a sense realization for them and it humbled them.

The Fourth Hokage had sacrificed his life and sealed the great nine-tailed fox into his own son. His family had made the ultimate sacrifice for their village in so many ways and for many it was a moment of self-realization of just how deeply the Fourth and his family had been willing to give to protect the village and its people. The assembled shinobi roared their approval in response to the Third's announcement at the sight of the duo. They were the wife and son of their hero, many brought up on stories of the Fourth Hokage, and they had been willing to sacrifice more than anyone ever should for their village. The shinobi assembled would always honor that sacrifice, for they, more than any other, understood what it meant to sacrifice for those they loved.

The few civilians who had been able to close their shops or take time off from work that had been able to join the crowd didn't know what to do. Several fainted at the realization they had been the ones to turn away Naruto from their stores or had thrown stones or even attempted or succeeded in bringing harm to the boy. Now that same boy was the son of their greatest hero, the heir to one of the richest clans in the village! They all had one collective thought, _OH SHIT!_

While most accepted the announcement without questioning the word of the third hokage, there was a small group of civilians who refused to believe what they heard. Their hero could not have given birth to the demon child! Their hero had died saving them and even if he had sacrificed his son he would have understood the need to kill the child to stop the demon! To take revenge for the lives lost! To end the threat once and for all! And this small, small group drifted quickly away from the scene, their anger smoldering at the sight of the demon child receiving such praise at the hands of the village.

The clans' reaction varied from the loud cheers of the Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Nara, and Akamichi, to the reserved and polite clapping of the Hyuga while any remaining member of the crowd simply stood in silence and shock.

Before the day was over the news had spread throughout the village, Naruto Uzumaki, now Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, was the son of Minato Namikaze! The Fourth Hokage! And as news spread by word of mouth and bars filled with either those who hated the news or those celebrating the return of the Namikaze clan, only time would tell what this knowledge would bring to the village hidden in the leaves.

**Evening after the announcement**

Naruto was happily finishing his sixth bowl of his mom's special ramen. The large manor was filled with warmth and joy despite the cool night. Naruto smiled happily as he slurped down the delicious noodles which had become surprisingly difficult to find after they had moved. His mother had certain ideas of what she called a 'healthy' diet and was determined to force feed him under that mentality. Naruto's response was simple, eat what his mother gave him, smile, and then sneak instant ramen every chance he got!

Naruto had ditched the formal, stuffy robes the moment he had gotten in the door and was again wearing his blue and orange jump suit. His mom walked in from changing into a pair of dark cargo pants and a red tank top, saw him and raised an eyebrow, "I thought I had gotten rid of all those jumpsuits," she said more to herself than anyone.

Kushina had made it her mission to get her son to wear clothing much more suitable for a shinobi than what she deemed a circus clown. But every time she had thought she had seen the last of the jumpsuit it reemerged on her son's body.

"Naru, just how many of those jumpsuits do you have?" She asked sweetly, immediately putting her son on alert.

Naruto wouldn't lie to his mother but he knew he had to protect his precious jumpsuit, "Um, well, not that many…"

Kushina raised her eyebrow again and sighing to herself, "Naru, what have I told you about that jumpsuit?"

"I know mom, but what's wrong with it? I've never been caught pranking in my jumpsuit, its comfortable, has lots of pockets, and doesn't wear out easy!" Naruto told her as he again defended his favorite piece of clothing.

"I know Naru, you've said that before, and I know we've been too busy to buy you new clothing other than getting the robes altered but before you go back to the academy next week I want you to get some new clothes ok? Tsunade and Shizune said they'd take you and how about we ask your friend Hinata to go too? How does that sound?" Kushina said smiling at her son remembered the adorable dark haired girl who had been watching her son that day while internally grinning as she thought of how to drive the Hyuga clan crazy.

Naruto acted like a deer who had suddenly heard the cracking of ice on a lake, he sat very still, his ramen halfway to his mouth, his eyes darted from his mom to his ramen and thought for a moment before speaking, "Can it have some orange in it? Please mommy?"

Naruto had learned that if he said please there was a much greater chance his mom would accede to the request. He had also learned that if he gave her a certain look with his eyes she could never refuse but he saved that for very important things, like ramen!

Kushina nodded slowly, "Of course dear, but not too much. We want you to look your best for your return to the academy. I was thinking maybe black pants and a dark blue shirt, your father used to wear something like that but let Tsunade and Shizune help you ok?"

Naruto smiled and nodded before resuming his ramen feast! Kushina knew if she mentioned it made him look his dad Naruto would cave easily, or if she offered him ramen, but that was for special circumstances.

"Um, I'm not really sure I'd say Hinata is a friend mom, she's always been really quiet, and never mean to me, but we've never played together or anything," he told her, the final part seeming to be slightly dejected at the reminder of his lack of friends from the academy.

"Well, I think she'd make a great friend for you, she seems shy but she comes from a good clan and you could learn a lot from her about etiquette you'll need later in life," his mother told him as she got her own bowl of ramen.

At these words Tsunade's ear perked up and she made a gesture to catch Kushina's attention. Kushina smiled at her son and patted him on the head as she set her bowl down before moving to the hallway where Tsunade was waiting for her.

"Kushina, what are you doing? You know that the Hyuga will try and arrange a marriage between Naruto and anyone they think will work. Do you want to give them an open chance?" Tsunade asked her cousin.

"Think about it Tsunade, if we let them scheme and plan we won't know what they're doing. But if we make the first move we can throw off their entire game. And from what I've heard from Hiruzen about the girl she is hardly the type to be capable of seducing my son, she'd have to be able to stop herself from fainting first," Kushina said with a slight giggle.

After having the little girl pointed out to her Hiruzen had been assaulted for information on the child that was so obviously stalk… erm, observing her son. She had come to learn the girls name was Hinata Hyuga, clan heiress of the Hyuga clan. She was also well known to be very kind, extremely shy to the point of being unable to speak without an extreme stutter.

"According to Hiruzen she's seen as a huge disappointment by her clan for her kindness and it's caused her to become extremely shy and speak with a stutter. He also told me she seems very taken with my son despite that he was considered a pariah by her clan and if he ever needs to find Naruto he usually just looks for Hinata," Kushina told her cousin.

Kushina let loose a short sigh before continuing, "I just don't understand how Hiashi could supposedly treat her the way I've heard. Sure, he was always a bit stuck up, what Hyuga isn't? But he never held with that superiority and strength mentality. But if what I've been told is correct he's the root for all the pain in his daughter's life. Always putting her down as weak, shunning her in favor of her younger sister, calling her a disgrace, even going so far as to banish her to the far side of the compound and away from her sister. It's no wonder the girl has a massive confidence issue and belief in her own weakness. The girl could use some time around Naruto, maybe she can absorb some of his confidence and he'll calm down a bit."

"Besides, they make such a cute little couple!" Kushina again giggled as her eyes got big at the thought of the two children together.

"Um, don't you think you're moving a bit quick with the match making?" Tsunade said while thinking of her poor, ignorant godson.

"Oh, I'm not saying they need to go on a date, their only 10 for god's sake!" Kushina agreed rolling her eyes as more images of Naruto and Hinata ran through her head, "But I just get a good feeling about the girl, and it sounds like she could use some time away from her family anyway. She's shy, kind, and is the first Hyuga I know of that doesn't have a stick up their ass. She isn't a fan girl type, not like the other girls who will come after my little Naru. Besides if we have Hinata around it'll give the fan girls a pause don't you think? Not to mention it'll drive the Hyuga elders crazy not knowing what we're doing by throwing the two together!"

Tsunade grinned at the thought of the collective apoplexy the clan elders would have, "Ok, you have a point with the fan girls and the Hyuga but don't let this be about you Kushina. This is about Naruto, you've had your revenge on the council, everyone knows you got Minato, and we know you're going to do something to the academy, but let Naruto live his life as well. You can't run every aspect of his life, so please, as your cousin and friend, don't suffocate him."

"I'm not suffocating my son! I'm being a mother and looking out for his well being," Kushina said as she crossed her arms under her chest getting slightly defensive at the accusation.

"I'm not saying you are but you could easily cross that line Kushina, you need to give him some time to adjust. He's been hit with a lot lately and it is going to be hard enough for him to adapt to these new changes. You grew up as a member of a clan, so did Minato, so did I, but Naruto hasn't and needs time to adjust to being a clan heir," Tsunade pressed on her cousin.

Kushina took a moment before responding, "Maybe you have a point, and it has been a lot for him hasn't it? I guess we should let him have some time to adjust. I'll try not to push too hard, but I think the Hyuga girl would be a good choice as a friend either way. I was also thinking of inviting the Nara and Akamichi heir's over since they are in his class and they were always good friends with Minato and I.

Tsunade nodded her acceptance and began to return to the main room of the manor before Kushina brought up another subject, "Have Naru's test results come back yet? I know he hasn't had a full check up before, but he's alright isn't he?"

"It will take a few more days before the last blood tests come back but so far everything looks perfect. Honestly, it's almost too perfect in some ways, but we'll have the final test results back after this weekend," Tsunade told her as the two rejoined the party to celebrate the official return of the Namikaze clan.

Naruto had finished his ramen and was standing next to his godfather listening to him go on and on about the greatness of the toads, "Yep, Gamabunta is really looking forward to meeting you my boy. He heard about your pranks and he thinks his son Gamakichi and you will get along great! You know your dad was a summoner of the toads, just like your old godfather," Jiraiya told him with a wink.

As Tsunade reentered the room her Jiraiya senses began tingling. Now, most people would think that Tsunade would have had a Jiraiya sense for when he was acting like a pervert, but after many years Tsunade's senses had developed to include times whenever Jiraiya was up to something. Curious and slightly wary Tsunade quietly made her way over by the toad sage and pretended to engage Kakashi in conversation while overhearing the last of the comments by her old teammate.

Abruptly turning around and facing Jiraiya Tsunade set a slight glare at him, "I knew it, you're trying to convince Naruto to sign the toad contract aren't you!" she told him with an accusing finger.

Jiraiya grinned, "Well, of course, Minato signed it, so Naruto should sign it."

"Just because his father did it does not mean Naruto has to do it, he could make his own choice in what contract he wants to sign," she countered.

"And who would be sign with? The slugs?" Jiraiya said back.

"Better the slugs than the toads!" Tsunade started yelling at him.

"Toads!"

"Slugs!

"TOADS!"

"SLUGS!"

"TOADS!"

"MONKEY!"

Suddenly everyone stopped and turned to see Hiruzen Sarutobi smoking his pipe, "Or do I need remind you of the time Enma and I trumped you and Gamabunta _and_ you and Katsuya in the battle of the summons when you came back from Ame for this very argument?"

"Wow, is Enma really that strong old man?" Naruto asked as he thought of how powerful the monkey king must be if he beat both the summons of his godfather and aunt.

_Crap! We're losing him!_ the two sannin thought and quickly made to usher the boy away from their sensei.

"Now now now Naruto, you know Gamabunta fought the nine tailed fox with your dad right?" Jiraiya said.

"And Katsuya can deconstruct herself to become an army of slugs each spitting acid," Tsunade told him.

As the two sannin dragged their godson away from their sensei who had an amusing smile on his face and was chuckling. The monkey contract was a family contract with the Sarutobi clan and unfortunately Naruto couldn't sign it even if he said he wanted too, but neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya knew that.

Kushina had listened to the argument and smiled to herself. She wouldn't make Naruto choose any summons if he didn't want too, but how she would like to see the toads again, they had always been very kind and she had especially enjoyed drinking with Gamabunta. She sighed as more memories of Minato came forward and she shook her head to cast them aside and stay in this moment as she focused on enjoying this evening with family and friends.

The next day Naruto awoke early despite the late night, it was Saturday, and that meant training with his godfather and Kakashi! He quickly dressed in his orange jump suit and frowned, he was supposed to go get new clothes with his aunt and big sister today.

"Thanks for all the good times friend," Naruto said quietly to the jumpsuit before leaving his room and heading downstairs to meet his teachers.

As Naruto flew down the stairs to the main floor of the manor, the orange blur landed on the hardwood floor and smiled happily. The smell of coffee being made wafted through the house and he saw his mom and Gai leaving through the door for their early morning run. Kushina smiled and waved at her son before following Gai. He was glad that his mom seemed a lot better when she had first come back. It had been over a month and she wasn't nearly so thin and had a lot more energy. Gai's estimates put his mom as above his expectations for recovery, although he kept screaming about her 'fires of youth', his aunt had told him that what he meant was his mom was very healthy and well on the way to a full recovery.

Kushina was close to her normal weight again after a month of Gai's high protein diet and was now cutting back on the calories to avoid overdoing things. Their normal routine had been increased to 2 miles every morning on a light jog, an hour of yoga, breaking for breakfast, then a morning filled with tai chi and aquatic exercises. The afternoon for Kushina was now spent going through jutsu, practicing kata's to her fighting style, and meditating to help regain her lost chakra control. She was not allowed to spar yet but Gai had said that it would only be a few weeks before then.

Tsunade had also made a big difference in Kushina's recover speed. She and Shizune had begun to work on Kushina's muscles on a cellular level. Unlike true cellular restoration, which was unneeded in this case because there was no damage to her muscles except the remnants of atrophy, what the two medics were doing was helping nutrients from the protein meals that Gai had Kushina eating reach the most affected areas. It was like an athlete getting a massage to a bruised muscle to promote relaxation and rest for the muscle. With the nutrients going to the most affected areas first it sped up Kushina's recovery rate exponentially.

Naruto rounded the corner and saw his godfather and Kakashi sitting quietly at the kitchen table in the dining room. Jiraiya smiled at his godson and pushed his chair back as Kakashi stretched and eye smiled at Naruto.

While it seems like Kakashi's timely arrival would be a sign of the apocalypse I must assure everyone not to start packing water and canned foods. There are two reasons why Kakashi was on time. The first was that he truly wanted to be there to train his sensei's son. He had been denied permission to be there for the boy for years and had been forced to hide behind a mask whenever he interacted with him, now he was free to train and teach the child like his father had taught him. In a strange way, Kakashi felt he was giving back to some of what Minato had given him and he felt redeemed. The other reason was the first day he had been late Kushina had taken his precious _Icha Icha_ and set his bed on fire with it the next morning to 'help' him wake up.

"Good Morning Naruto, let's get going, we want to get as much done before breakfast as we can. Tsunade said she's taking you shopping for new clothes today," Jiraiya told him as he headed for the door.

"Yeah, mom is making me rid of my beautiful orange jump suit! I told her that it was awesome and it has orange, how she couldn't like so much orange I dunno, it's in the clan symbol after all! And it has all these pockets and is really durable. Gai said it's really youthful too!" Naruto hold his godfather in a vain hope the older man might be provide an ally in keeping his jumpsuit.

"Ok, first thing, NEVER. EVER. Take fashion advise from Gai, ok?" Jiraiya told him. Seeing his godson nod in response he continued, "Next, your mom is right. Remember how we've been going over Shinobi theory and the first one is always stealth? Your jumpsuit has some good qualities, plenty of pockets and it is durable, but if you were on a mission what would be better for stealth, your bright orange jumpsuit or perhaps Kakashi's dark green and gray? You also need to think about your team, if you get caught your team will get caught and you could end up getting them killed just because you have a personal preference for your orange jumpsuit. So it's a good idea to go ahead and start wearing more professional clothes, besides, you'll get taken more seriously as your father's son if you do that."

Kakashi nodded along with what the toad sage was saying before adding his own input, "All ANBU uniforms are standard black and gray because the coloring is easier to move through the shadows. Also even Gai's jumpsuit, as mind wrenching as it is, is a dark green making it useful for blending into the forest and shadowy backgrounds."

"I guess that makes sense," Naruto said grudgingly, "and mom said I can get some orange in the new clothes, so I guess it'll be ok."

Jiraiya grinned and ruffled his godson's hair, "So no harm done, now, let's get going!"

Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Naruto headed out the manor's backdoor toward the private training area behind the Namikaze mansion. Naruto started his training by going through basic forms and motions, moving from one stance to the next, his entire body flowing in rhythm while his teachers watched on with critical eyes. Every time he made a mistake he was forced to start back at the beginning. For the first week Naruto had grumbled to his teacher, since Kakashi was alone at the time, about having to learn what he saw as 'stupid dance moves that looked stupid'. Once Kakashi realized he didn't understand the basics of _why_ it was so important to know basic stances and forms he had included it on his lecture topics.

Much of Naruto's training had been in theory, tactics, and history. After having Naruto spar with him and asking a few simple questions it became clear that Naruto lacked even the basic knowledge ever shinobi needed to succeed. So Kakashi had settled in to explain, teach, and re-teach a large amount of what Naruto both should have already known and beyond. He had gone over muscle movement, bone structure, pressure points, squad and army tactics, how to infiltrate enemy fortifications, assignation and combat styles and techniques, bloodlines, clan techniques, and dozens of other topics.

At first keeping Naruto sitting there and listening attentively had been slightly difficult, but once Kakashi got the hang of teaching he was able to make the lectures more interesting by including real world stories or giving scenario's for Naruto to work through. The first three weeks were spent almost entirely on physical training and lectures before moving into long hours working with Kata's and forms with Jiraiya and Gai. They were just now beginning to incorporate meditation and chakra control exercises into Naruto's training and planned to begin light sparring around the same time Kushina's restriction was lifted.

Now Naruto could flow from one stance to the next, his right foot moving slightly forward while his left would slide further away to widen the stance as he brought his hips in rotation to bring a knee around or an elbow, or he would slid his left foot forward and bring his right leg closer in a practice dodge to flow into a wider stance for a block. Jiraiya and Kakashi looked on and only made him restart a single time before deeming him finished and looking pleased with his progress.

Next the three began their morning jog around the training area of two miles. Naruto, being a ten year old, needed time to condition his body for longer distances and Jiraiya and Kakashi felt it was better to take building his physical form slowly. So they would run two miles for their morning warm up, then they would work on his sprinting to increase his lung capacity by setting out markers every ten yards for 40 yards. Naruto would then run to the first marker, touch it, run back, run to the second, touch it, run back, then the third, and finally the fourth.

After completing 30 minutes of sprint training they would move to physical conditioning through push-ups, set-ups, pull-ups, swimming, and other various exercises meant to strengthen the boy's body. As Jiraiya and Kakashi were aware that Naruto would be eventually learning the speed techniques of the Namikaze they focused his training on compact bursts of power with a secondary emphasis on endurance and control.

As the sun began to rise and morning began to fully dawn Jiraiya smirked at his now drenched godson, "That's enough Naruto, let's hit the showers and get you cleaned up and fed before you go out shopping with Tsunade. Also I have a list of reading for you tonight since we're not doing our normal lectures today."

"Awwwww, come on, can't we skip the boring book stuff? It's so useless! Who ever won a fight with a stupid book anyway?" Naruto complained to his godfather.

With a chuckle Jiraiya responded, "Your father did, many times actually. So did the Third Hokage during the second and third great ninja wars. Never underestimate the power a book has. Knowledge and information are more powerful than any jutsu in the world Naruto, trust me, as a spymaster I know this more than most." Jiraiya finished his comments with a wink as they reentered the house.

Heading upstairs to his room's bathroom Naruto waved at his godmother and aunt at the kitchen table, "Hey Auntie! Hi Big Sis! Gonna grab a shower, see you soon!" he told them before turning into an orange blur and leaving the room for the shower.

Jiraiya walked over and sat down at the table as Tsunade sipped her coffee in complete satisfaction. It is a little known fact that Tsunade is not, in fact, most dangerous after she has been peeked on in the women's baths. No, it is the time between when she awakens and when she gets her first cup of coffee that she is truly the most terrifying and any wrong move can set her off. Not even Jiraiya was courageous enough to attempt to mess with his old teammates during that time period and it was said even Orochimaru would never dare attack before Tsunade had her first cup of coffee.

Once he was assured she had taken her first few sips of coffee Jiraiya decided it was safe enough to speak with his old teammate, "Naruto said you're taking him shopping today?" Tsunade responded with a nod of affirmation.

"Yeah, Kushina wants him to look a bit more respectable for classes Monday. And, let's be honest, that jumpsuit has to be the worst thing a ninja could ever possibly wear! Whoever sold it to him must have been hoping it would get him killed. But we'll take care of it and make sure he gets appropriate clothing. It's also a good chance for me to have some bonding time with my godson. Other than running medical check-ups I feel like I haven't had a chance to really talk to him," Tsunade told him with a slight pout to her lips.

There was some truth behind what Tsunade was saying. Since Jiraiya and Kakashi were heavily involved in Naruto's training and Tsunade was mostly working to help with Kushina's rehabilitation she hadn't gotten to spend much as much time with his godson as she had hoped. It was a concession from Kushina that she be allowed to take him clothes shopping to have some time together.

Jiraiya chuckled, "Just don't dress him up like you used to do to Katsuya, I am pretty sure that would scar the boy for years."

Tsunade glared at the toad sage for his reminder of the _one_ time she had dressed her slug summons in a pink dress with a yellow bow on one tentacle. She had been drunk! Heavily drunk! And unfortunately Jiraiya had been around… with a camera. However he had never showed those pictures of her and Katsuya to anyone, and it still worried her to this very day when the blackmail for those pictures would eventually arrive.

"That only happened once and you know it," she growled at him before taking another sip of her coffee, "How is his training going? I know Kushina wants to get her final hit in at the academy for screwing up his training for all these years."

"I'd say he has the basics well down in all areas and understands the theories behind Taijustsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu. His Taijutsu forms are up to an acceptable level. Unfortunately his chakra control is still horrible, but it is simply amazing how much chakra he has, so it's not much surprise that he has such trouble with control. Even the simplest jutsu gets overloaded. I am thinking we'll need to focus on more advanced chakra training for him, something that requires more chakra exertion and work our way down. Physically he is in great shape, we could probably push him harder but I wanted to hold back until we got all of the tests back from the check up your doing."

Jiraiya shook his head and sighed for a moment before continuing, "I swear, what were those idiots at the academy thinking? Naruto is very intelligent, bright, inventive, and extremely receptive, so long as you catch his attention and he never stops trying. It's simply inspiring to watch him sometimes when he is trying to figure out a problem and can't seem to get the hang of it. He just doesn't give up. I wouldn't say he's a genius or prodigy, honestly that word gets thrown around far too much for my tastes in this village. Every year they seem to have some new genius prodigy at the academy, it's devalued the word in my opinion. But I think he has it in him to truly become his father's son, and I believe one day he will be Hokage."

Tsunade listened quietly to Jiraiya's words as he finished with a smile on his face. It was a true smile, not the perverted one he normally wore and she returned the smile hesitantly, thoughts of her lost brother and lover surfacing as she felt the full weight of her necklace on around her neck. She nodded without saying another word before rising decided it was time for her to get changed for the day.

Naruto showered and changed into one of last clean jumpsuits. He sighed as he realized it might be the last time he ever wore one of these jumpsuits. New clothes were another big step, not as big as standing in front of a huge crowd of people with the old man pronouncing him and his mom's names to everyone, but still a step away from his old identity.

There was a knock at his door and the voice of his big sister called to him, "Naruto, breakfast is ready and you don't want to let it get cold."

"Ok sis, I'll head down in a minute," Naruto responded forgetting his slightly melancholy thoughts.

Naruto had barely finished his breakfast and downed the last of his juice when Tsunade emerged and dragged both him and Shizune out the door yelling they would be back later to the remaining members of the household.

As the three walked out of the Namikaze district and entered the rest of the village they began to immediately notice the amount of attention they were attracting. Tsunade ignored the stares while Shizune seemed used to the attention but Naruto was completely unsure how to take this strange predicament. Sure, he got glared at every day, usually with a few curses as well, but now most people just stared at him in shock, there were a few glares here and there but all the shinobi he saw smiled or waved at him, not Tsunade, but HIM! And even the civilians seemed unsure how to treat him but most seemed of the opinion to just be polite, not overly polite or happy like the Shinobi but polite. It was rather strange to see such a drastic change in a single day for the village pariah and he wasn't sure how to take it so he grinned and waved at them while Tsunade and Shizune looked on carefully.

It wasn't long until they arrived at a shinobi clothing store. Naruto wasn't entirely sure how the owner would treat him. He had never been to this store before but most had thrown him out the moment he had entered. Taking a deep breath he followed his aunt and sister and entered the store. He looked around, it was a medium sized store for the village. There was a large section of weapons and clothing with a smaller section of books, manuals, and scrolls further to the back.

The owner of the store saw the three potential customers and smiled as he looked at Naruto. This wasn't a polite smile like the rest of the villagers but a full smile, one that was genuinely happy to see the boy.

"Good Morning! Welcome to Geran's Shinobi Shop! What can I help you with today?" The owner of the shop, Geran, was a large muscular man who had several burns on his arms a nasty one mostly hidden by his shirt. He looked to be a blacksmith by trade and had a loud but cheerful disposition and en enthusiasm for his work that couldn't be hidden.

"Hello, we're just getting some equipment and new clothes for my godson here," Tsunade said as she smiled at Naruto.

"Well well, it is an honor to help the youngest Namikaze. Please feel free to look around and if you need help I'm more than happy to provide it! We also do custom weapon designs and patterns into the clothing if you need a clan symbol stitched into the fabric," Geran said with a smile.

"Thank you, that's very helpful," Shizune told him as she noticed Tsunade was no longer paying attention but was instead looking at several different shinobi pants and colors, "Sorry, Lady Tsunade sometimes gets carried away."

"HAHAHA, Quite all right, if you need any help just give me a yell!" Garen told her before returning to the front of the shop to continue working on something while his costumers were left to their own devices.

The next four hours were a slight blur to Naruto as he was sent in and out of the changing room over and over and over again. He tried on shinobi pants, ANBU pants, cargo pants, shorts, gi shorts, gym shorts, sweat pants, wraps, chainmail, mesh, and many more styles than Naruto knew existed. They primarily stayed with white, dark blue, dark red, and black for their colors. But finally after much arguing about colors, patterns, stitching, fabrics, pocket numbers, protective coverings, and a dozen other things Naruto didn't really understand his aunt and big sister finally made a decision on what he should get.

Naruto now looked at himself in the mirror wearing a pair of black shinobi sandals, dark blue ANBU style pants, a black, sleeveless shirt, with replacement colors in gray, white, and dark red, along with a pair of fingerless gloves with dark metal plates on the backs. As a concession to his one demand of some orange he was also wearing a pair of very dark orange bracers, with black metal plates on the top of his forearm, which connected to the fingerless gloves to offer protection for his forearms but was not restrictive of his wrist movement. The interesting thing about the gloves and bracers was that they could be locked if he twisted his wrist correctly to create an almost shield-like protection for his wrists and arms. To finish the new ensemble was a dark blue vest with a large number of pockets, it was slimmer than the ones presented to chunin's and contained lighter weight padding with melt chainmail inserted between the padding for extra protection without hindering the movement of the user like metal plates would.

Satisfied with their decision they also purchased him new sets of kunai and shuriken but refused his request for a sword. They told him he would be learning to use the same weapon as his father once Jiraiya decided to teach him. The thought of learning how to use the same weapon as his dad immediately silenced Naruto as he made plans to bug his godfather to start teaching him. Finally they purchased several large sealing scrolls to carry everything along with body weights with gravity seals on them at Jiraiya and Kakashi's request.

They waited an extra thirty minutes while the Namikaze symbol was emblazoned on the three vests they bought and several dozen shirts. Once that was complete they paid for the purse and as they left the shop, a very happy Geran yelling for them to come again soon, they were happy to see the reaction on the faces of the people of Konoha as they walked by. Naruto's new outfit was getting shocked looks and several of the younger girls did double takes at his new appearance to which Naruto blushed, unused to the attentive stares by the opposite sex. And more than one shinobi who saw him as they walked by mentioned the name 'Minato' and 'Namikaze'.

"Let's stop and get some cinnamon buns for lunch," Tsunade suggested as she spotted a shop nearby.

Getting nods of agreement from Naruto and Shizune they settled down and ordered tea and cinnamon buns. Naruto kept fidgeting with his new gauntlets, locking the dark metal plates and unlocking them. He was told he needed to get used to the motion or else he would do it accidentally or possibly forget in a combat situation so he wanted to practice as much as he could.

Tsunade decided this was a good time to bring up a particular subject she had been wanting to talk to her godson about, "Naruto, how are you doing? I know this has been a lot of changes in a short time for you."

Naruto stopped messing with his gauntlets and smiled at his godmother, "I'm great! My mom's back, I've got you, godfather, big sister, Kakashi and Gai! How could I not be good?"

Tsunade shook her head, "That's not what I meant. And don't try and fool me with that mask of a smile you have, it doesn't work on me or your mom. You're a clan heir now, that's a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure, how are you holding up? People have a lot of expectation from you now and that's never easy, I know from personal experience how hard that can be."

Naruto was quiet for a moment, "I guess I'm just confused. I don't understand what people want from me. It's like they suddenly are noticing me but it's not for me and they expect me to be someone great when before they thought I was trash. How can people's attitudes change so quickly? Before mom came back these people would have glared at me and I would have been thrown out of that shop but now they want to do everything to help and make me happy and the shinobi look at me like I'm supposed to be my dad. I-I don't even know how a clan heir is supposed to act," Naruto finished lamely as some of his insecurities began to bleed through.

"When I was a little girl I was brought up as the granddaughter of the first hokage, the niece of the second, and many people thought I was meant for great things because of who my family was," Tsunade told as she seemed to gain a distant look to her eyes, "and in truth I believed them, I thought because of my blood I was better and I would do great things. It wasn't until I saw my first battle in the second great shinobi war that I realized that who your family was didn't matter."

Tsunade looked at her godson and smiled, "You're a fine clan heir just the way you are Naruto. The Namikaze were never big on ceremony like the Hyuga. They believed in promoting the uniqueness in every clan member and could be loud and boisterous. I've always believed that their excitement for life and ingenuity was what made them such brilliant seal masters and so dangerous on the battlefield. Don't ever believe you need to change who you are or meet anyone else's expectations. We love you for you," she told him poking him the stomach, "And as far as the people's change to you. Just remember, your true friends are the ones who care about you for who _you_ are, not for you just because of your clan."

Naruto laughed and smiled, "I guess my clan was like ramen! Lots of different flavors and always awesome! And just like them I'll work to never let any of you down!"

Tsunade smiled and Naruto suddenly grabbed his head as Tsunade's finger lightly flicked his head into the table, "HEY! What was that for! THAT HURT!" He yelled at her.

"Because what you just said was very stupid Naru. Of course you're going to let people down, we all do it once in a while, we're not perfect, and we're human. We can only do the best we can and the people who love us will always know that. Sure, we'll succeed plenty of times but there is always going to be that occasion we lose or aren't fast enough. You can't always make the right choice or save everyone, I know that's hard to understand right now, but we're your family and we love you and it doesn't matter to us so long as you're happy," she told as she placed her arms around him and gave him a hug.

"So, just do my best and never give up!" Naruto said, "That'll be my ninja way!"

Shizune smiled and Tsunade nodded as the cinnamon buns and tea arrived. She was happy she got to spend time with her godson before her returned to the academy. She knew that once he was back there things would just get that much more difficult for him and there would be a lot of people wanting to take up his time, try to use him, or marry him to one of their daughters, but for the moment he could just be Naruto, her godson.


	10. School can be fun!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto would have spoken to Hinata after she almost died trying to save his life!

Author's note: Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since I last updated but I had some personal things to take care of that held up this update. I hope you enjoy it and as always, please continue to review!

**Fuyutaro son****: Kushina wouldn't complain about the orange, she had the same obsession with the color that naruto did (Tsunade and jiraiya says so in one of the chapters, and every picture with her in it, except for the ones during the kyuubi attack and after she gave birth, shows her wearing orange of varying shades)**

Edaar: The whole clothing thing isn't really about Kushina disliking the jumpsuit or the color orange but more of her maternal instinct screaming that it's a giant bull-eye on her son. I'd say we can put more blame on Tsunade and Shizune for the color scheme than Kushina at this point ;)

**froger495****: have you picked witch summon he is going to have?****if not i vote for foxes,dragons,and or phoenix's**

Edaar: I have not yet decided on what summons Naruto is going to get but I'm always willing to consider off-the-wall creatures so if you or anyone else has a particular summoned animal they think would be great to see in the story let me know and I might put them in there! On an off note I can tell you the toads are going to make a major push for him to sign their contract in the near future, particularly considering their history with his father and Jiraiya.

**the DragonBard****: Why does no one see the benefits of the orange jumpsuit?****  
****Have him keep it, but use it for stealth training! First, they have him try and hide wearing it, and then once he's good enough, they either put bells on it, or seals that immitate the effect of covering it with bells. It's the same idea as putting weights on to increase strength or speed. You're giving them a handicap that they must overcome, thus they are (supposedly) better without it.**

Edaar: Hmmmm, very interesting idea *grins evilly*

**As for Naruto's chakra control, that's a subject I'm ambivalent about. Remember, he mastered tree climbing as fast as (if not faster) than Sasuke, but they still claim his chakra control was inferior. That's never been really explained.**

Edaar: I agree with on that although I tend to think that the root of Naruto's chakra control problems stem more from his age than the amount of chakra. A normal shinobi would learn the chakra control exercises as their chakra pool increased granting them increased control as the amount of chakra in their reserves grows. In Naruto's case we have a boy who had Jonin reserves when he was 12 (Kakashi says he might have more chakra than he does in the wave mission) but never learned anything but the basic academy chakra exercises designed for people with a lot less chakra. So I think Naruto's control wasn't the issue as much as he needed proper training to control the amount of chakra he had. Kind of like having a fire hose vs a garden hose of chakra. Naruto simply didn't have the knowledge or training to control the amount he was releasing rather than it being some innate issue.

**Chapter 9: School can be fun?**

Kushina was in the rose garden of the Namikaze manor. The roses were in full bloom, their petals flush with varying shades of deep reds and flawless whites. Their scent laced the air with an intoxicating fragrance which seemed to spread throughout the entire manor that time of year. She wasn't sure what had brought her here but sitting on the old granite bench was a young man she knew without ever having to see his face.

His hair was a deep blonde that hung loosely and untamed over his forehead protector. He sat with a relaxed posture but she knew every muscle in his body was ready to spring at the first sign of trouble. She knew every muscle on his well defined body, her hands had touched them, caressed them, and loved them.

She took the first step toward to the bench and the man seated upon it. She felt like she was floating, her heart was pounding and her mind was focused solely on the subject before her. She knew it was a dream, she knew he wasn't real, but she couldn't help but play her part in the drama unfolding around her.

He turned and smiled at her as she approached, his smile reminded her of the morning sunrise. It was a small smile, a simple smile, but it spoke volumes filled with confidence, hope and love. His brilliant blue eyes twinkled with mischief and amusement as he watched her approach. He wore exactly what she remembered, the dark blue shirt and black pants with his green vest, he even had his white coat with red flames dancing on the bottom. She sat next to him and he wrapped an arm around her as she placed her head on his shoulder. Her deep, red hair cascading down his shoulder like a waterfall as she closed her eyes and sighed, her body relaxing, the tension leaving her shoulders and for the first time she could remember in so long, she felt at peace.

How many times had they done this? Hundreds? Thousands? Not nearly enough and every time felt like the first.

"You're just as beautiful as you always have been Kushi," Minato whispered in her ear.

"I miss you so much Minato," Kushina told her now dead husband, "I know this is a dream but I simply don't want to wake up. We do this every night, always here in the garden, always together, and every time it tears me apart having to leave you for reality. I miss you so much."

Tears began to slide down her cheeks as she struggled to hold onto that moment. Minato placed his hand on the back of her head and stroked her hair lovingly as she cried.

"Shhhhh Kushi, it's alright," he crooned to her, "I miss you too, I loved you from our time at the academy and to be separated from you is like a constant pain."

The tears coming from Kushina streamed down from her violet eyes as she tucked her feet underneath her and wrapped her arms around her deceased husband and held to him with all of her strength. Minato smiled at her and kissed her hair, his hand still stroking the cascade of red.

"You were always so strong Kushi and that hasn't changed at all. You can do this, I know you can," Minato told her as she continued to cry, her emotional walls coming down.

"But how Minato? I need you right now, Naruto needs you, why did you have to use the death reaper seal? Was there really no other way? " Kushina asked, her words muffled as she continued to cry into his green vest.

"I wish there had been another way Kushi, how I do wish that, but you know there wasn't, it was either me or the village and I couldn't let the Kyubi destroy the village I'd sworn to protect," he told her.

"What about your commitment to Naruto? To me? To our vows? I know I'm being selfish but I miss you so much and seeing how Naruto was forced to grow up alone and hated, living by himself with no one to support him, no one to hold him at night when had a nightmare, no one to help him with his homework or push him on a swing. I just wish you could have been there, I know you would have loved him so much and been such a wonderful father. Damn you, why did you have to leave!" she told him, her voice raw with emotion and the tear streamed down her face and into his vest.

Kushina began to feel herself awakening, her body knew that soon her alarm would go off and this dream would end, just like the others.

Minato placed his hand under her chin and slowly lifted her face to his, her eyes meeting his, but unlike the other times where he simply kissed her, he held her gaze.

"There is always hope for the future Kushi, and they didn't call me the greatest genius of my clan for nothing, my love. Naruto was never alone and neither were you, love, I was, and always will be there," he told her with a smile.

Kushina blinked as his words hit her, "What… what are you talking about Minato? This isn't how the dream ends…"

Minato smiled at his wife, "Good Morning Kushina."

**Kushina's Room, Monday Morning**

Kushina was jolted awake, her eyes wide open as the final words of her dream rung in her mind. She pulled her knees toward her chest and clutched the pillow she had unconsciously been crying into during the dream as she thought about the end of the dream.

_There is always hope for the future Kushi, and they didn't call me the greatest genius of my clan for nothing my life._ What was he talking about? No one ever called him a genius of the Namikaze, he was simply considered a genius of the village, his clan was all but dead, slowly dying along with their memory within the village leaving him the single hope to rebuild it. He had been forced to relearn every technique and jutsu the Namikaze had ever created from scrolls after his parents had died, he was seen more a civilian than a clan member. None it made any sense!

_Naruto was never alone and neither were you, love, I was, and always will be there_, but it didn't make sense. He was gone, of course Minato was gone. Kushina shook her head. It must have simply been her subconscious telling her what she needed to hear.

Kushina sat in her bed, the words ringing in her mind as she tried to shake it off. After several minutes she shook her head again. Today was Naruto's first day back at school and she needed to get up and going since she was planning on walking him to class and she wanted to look her best. But even as she slid out of the bed and made her way toward the bathroom to prepare for the day the dream never truly left her thoughts.

**Naruto**

Naruto woke with a spring in his step. He was finally going back to the academy! He couldn't wait to show everyone his new skills. He jumped out of his bed and rushed into the bathroom where he brushed his teeth and took a quick shower before dressing in his new gear. He took a glance in the mirror, blue pants, black shirt, fingerless black gloves and very dark orange bracers all in place. Smiling he sped out of his room and downstairs.

"Good Morning everyone!" He said as he jumped into the room and into a chair almost causing a crash into the table.

Tsunade rolled her eyes at his antics as she sipped her coffee but was inwardly pleased to see his new clothes rather than his old jumpsuit. Strangely Jiraiya had said he would take care of the jumpsuits disposal. Considering he never wanted to do menial tasks she wondered what the hell her old teammate was up too. When she asked he simply said he was just trying to be helpful.

Jiraiya grinned at his godson, "Just remember we have training right after the academy lets you out so don't be late getting home. Kakashi and I talked about and we think you're ready to start learning some of the fighting style techniques from your father's clan. But there is a condition we'll discuss later ok?"

"YAY!" Naruto said as he pumped his fist into the air, "You bet Godfather!"

No matter how times he heard Naruto call him Godfather it still brought a smile to Jiraiya, something not missed by Tsunade who had been surprised by her old teammates sentimental streak where their godchild was concerned, it was almost enough to make her forgive him for not telling her he had survived so many years ago. Almost but not quite.

Shizune was just finishing breakfast and placing the eggs, bacon, and rice on the table when Kushina appeared at the table. He red hair was braided behind her back and she was wearing black ANBU style pants with a single thick red strip running down the sides leading to the Uzumaki swirl on the main pockets by her hands. The top was a form fitting black shirt covered by a dark red sleeveless vest with the Namikaze crest on the back with sleeves that ran just above her elbows where it stopped and was replaced by fighting wraps she had begun to use on her arms and hands.

"Um, expecting trouble Kushina?" Jiraiya asked as he raised an eyebrow at her chosen clothing choice.

"Never know, I want to have a chat with the headmaster at the academy, and we can't be too careful right?" Kushina said with a too sweet smile on her face causing everyone but Naruto to begin to sweat.

The final member of the little family who would be joining them that morning made his way downstairs. Kakashi wore his usual attire and had his forehead protector slanted to cover his Sharingan eye. He yawned and waved at everyone before helping himself to some bacon and eggs. In all the time they had been living together no one had been able to see Kakashi's face behind his mask, although Shizune had decided to make it her personal mission to find out what he was hiding under that mask.

As breakfast neared its completion Kushina placed a hand on her son's shoulder, "Naruto there is something I want to discuss with you. Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi, Gai, and I all talked about it and while we want you to improve and do your best we want you to treat your time in the academy as a mission."

"Huh? What do you mean mom?" Naruto asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"We don't want you to show off too much and don't use any advanced techniques we might teach you and the same goes for Jutsu's unless you are in a life and death situation. By now every nation in the world is either aware, or soon will be, that you're Minato's son and they will be watching you to determine how strong you are. I want you to hold back so when you graduate and become a genin they won't know what hits them!"

Naruto looked down for a moment, he had really REALLY wanted to show off to his classmates how strong he was becoming but at the same time he really wanted to be a good son and he felt really conflicted about this, after all, why should he hold back? No one else was! It wasn't fair!

"Naru, we're not saying you can't do well and fight hard and you should never throw a sparring match but just don't show you're full potential ok? When you graduate you want to have some tricks up your sleeve incase another village tries to attack you or an old enemy comes out of hiding while you're away from the village," Tsunade told him seeing the conflicting emotions cross her godson's face.

"Think about it like this, what would you care about more? Showing off to people at the academy or being able to complete a high level mission and take down high level opponents as a genin? This is to keep you safe, think of it as an infiltration mission. You have to do your very best while utilizing only a few lower level skills to keep your enemy from learning too much about your techniques," Jiraiya told him.

Naruto's brow knitted in concentration as he considered their words before asking the only real question he had, "But, other clans have enemies too right? And their not told to hold back are they?"

"Actually Naru most clans tell their children to hold back from revealing their more advanced techniques, if they know them. If you look at the rankings every year clans like the Aburame, Nara, Akamichi, Yamanaka, and Kurama are typically found near the middle to lower end. It was because they were told to hold back, just like we're telling you now. Only clans such as the Hyuga and Uchiha worried about their rank in the academy because they thought it proved they were superior in some way. Even the Senju clan typically held back until after graduation," Tsunade explained to him.

Naruto nodded feeling more comfortable knowing that some of his classmates were also being given the same instruction by their parents, "Ok, I guess I understand, I can still be awesome but just can't show how totally awesome I am until after I graduate right?"

"Exactly Naruto," Kushina told him with a smile.

Breakfast was finished in short order and the small group left together to take Naruto to his first day at the academy. Sure, Naruto had been to the academy for years before they had come along and he knew the way but for them it was their way of showing support. It was a new start for Naruto and they wanted him to know that. As they went they each began to give him pieces of last minute advice. The normal things you'd hear ranging from "do your best" and "pay attention" to "make sure you respect your sensei" and "if you play a prank make sure you don't get caught!"

The group proceeded out of the Namikaze district towards to the academy. Their appearance had an immediate effect on the people around them, many bowed to the presence of the Namikaze family and their sannin escorts. It was very strange for the boy who had up until days before been the village pariah and outcast, not welcome anywhere and hated by everyone. He didn't know entirely how to react when people would bow and wish him a good day so Naruto decided to take his godmother's advice and be himself.

So it was with a big smile on his face he waved back and yelled 'Good Morning!' To everyone who spoke to them as their little group made their way to the academy.

They arrived at the academy in time to see the other children moving inside and saying their good-byes to their families. As Kushina hugged her son and wished him a good day a small, dark haired girl came up to them. Her escort put on a friendly smile but remained quiet.

"Um, Um, e-exc-use m-me. G-Good M-Morning L-Lady Ku-Kushina, La-Lady Ts-Tsunade, L-Lord Jir-Jiraiya," Hinata said with immense embarrassment at her stutter as she bowed. Tao continued to smile and tried to silently encourage the young child that was his charge but even he felt slight embarrassment at her stutter and shyness, so completely opposite from her sister.

In truth, had it not been for specific orders from her father and the clan elders it was unlikely Hinata would have had the courage to speak to such an assembly of famous shinobi of her village, particularly with one being the mother of her crush!

**Flashback**

Hinata had been summoned by her father and was waiting outside the door to his private study. She fiddled with her fingers and she hoped he wouldn't yell at her for her poor performance in training earlier that day. She had tried so hard but it never helped, she was always hopeless. She stayed up late working on her stance, her foot work, practicing her attacks and defenses, but no matter how much she tried she could not be good enough to gain her father's approval.

"Hinata, come inside," Hiashi called in a cold, almost monotone voice.

Hinata entered her father's study and bowed before being directed to take a seat before him. He looked at her, his eyes boring into her and she slightly flinched at the hard gaze.

"The elders and I have chosen to assign you to a very special mission Hinata. It is one you are, uniquely, suited too." Hiashi told her tempering the word 'uniquely' with thinly veiled disgust, as if it was a grievous insult.

Hinata looked up at her father somewhat awed that the elders and he had chosen to even consider her for a mission for the clan, "Y-Yes, Fa-father, I-I will d-do my b-best," she told him, again cursing her stutter.

Hardening his eyes even more toward her he spoke and explained the decision of the clan elders, "You no doubt remember the announcement mere days ago when the young boy, Naruto Uzumaki, was proclaimed to the heir of the 4th Hokage, Namikaze and Uzumaki clans and along with his mother's return. The clan views the rise and return of either of those clans as a threat to our prominence and their merger with him as clan heir is a threat to our dominance within the village."

Hinata flushed slightly at the reminder of her fainting upon learning that Naruto was the son of the 4th and the heir to one of the most prestigious clans thought lost in the village.

"You're duty is to get close to the boy and his mother. Befriend him, seduce him, and enter into an arranged marriage that will bind them to the Hyuga. Do you think you are capable of this?"

Hinata was stunned. She was being told to befriend and obtain marriage with the boy she cared about so much. The one who had inspired her for almost her entire life! Her clan wasn't simply allowing her to see the boy but demanding she marry him! She fought back a bought of fainting from the shock and managed a quiet, "Y-Yes Father, I-I c-can d-d-do this."

Hiashi glared at his stuttering daughter, _I can't believe they actually think you could purposefully seduce the boy, you can barely talk to someone. Just hold on a little longer, soon I will make sure the last wishes of your mother come true daughter._

Outwardly though Hiashi continued in his cold demeanor, "Very well then, the boy will be returning to the academy Monday. It is best if you begin then, introduce yourself to his mother and those with him, likely Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade. Offer to escort him into the academy and take the seat next to him. Do NOT allow anyone else to introduce themselves first, it is imperative that you be the first to stake any kind of friendship with the boy. He has had few friends and the first to offer such friendship will obtain a special place to him. Once a friendship has been established you will be in a position to move toward a relationship and obtain the ultimate goal of the clan, understood?"

"Y-Yes F-Father," Hinata replied.

"Very well, you are dismissed," Hiashi told his daughter and watched her leave. His face never changing but his soul saddened by the exchange.

**End Flashback**

Kushina was slightly surprised to see the little Hyuga in front of them but smiled warmly, "Good Morning, it is nice to meet you…"

Hinata blushed realizing her mistake and broke in before Kushina could continue, "I-I'm so-sorry, m-my na-name is Hi-Hinata H-Hyuga," she told her with a bow.

Kushina smiled again, "It is very nice to meet you Hinata."

Hinata had a small smile and blushed slightly under the warm greeting causing Kushina to frown inwardly, _What kind of treatment has this child been through that just giving her a warm smile and hello would cause such a reaction? I need to speak with Hiashi_.

"Um, I-I w-was w-w-won-dering if, if maybe, you, um, w-would l-like to-to w-walk to-toget-ther into th-the, um, ac-aca-de-demy N-naruto? I-if th-that i-is ok?" Hinata asked with another bow to Kushina.

"That would be fine with me, how about you dear?" Kushina asked her son who had a huge smile on his face. Hinata had never been mean to him before and even though it was just an offer to walk into class together, barely 100 feet maybe, it had the desired affect the Hyuga had predicted.

"YAY! Sure Hinata, I'd love too!" Naruto said with his giant smile as he hugged his mom, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi before grabbing Hianta's hand and speeding toward the academy while calling back, "See you this afternoon Mom!"

_That a boy Naruto! First day back and already a ladies' man just like your father!_ Jiraiya thought to himself as he grinned at his godson's antics.

Toa smiled slightly at the boy's antics and secretly hoped his confidence would rub off on the young clan heir, "Thank you ," was all he said to Kushina before bowing and moving on to attend his other duties.

Kushina rolled her eyes as she watched her son half drag the little girl through the academy doors, "He might look like you Minato but his personality is completely from my side," she muttered to herself.

"What was that Kushina?" Kakashi asked with a grin visible underneath his mask.

"Oh Nothing, Nothing. I'd say it's time we had a talk with the headmaster of the academy now, don't you?" They each nodded their agreement before proceeding to the headmaster's office.

**Naruto**

As Naruto got to the classroom he realized Hinata wasn't moving anymore and stopped just outside the door, "Uh, Hinata are you ok?" he asked with concern in his eyes.

Hinata had temporarily fainted from the close contact with her crushed but thankfully Toa had been quick enough to toss some smelling salts under the collar of her jacket before Naruto pulled her into the academy.

A very dazed Hinata blinked several times before answering, "um-um, Y-yes, Naruto, I-I'm o-ok."

Naruto smiled at her, "I'm really glad to hear it, I was worried for a moment you'd gotten sick or something."

Shaking her head because she was unsure she could respond to the concern the blonde boy was showing she assured him everything was ok. No one in the Hyuga clan had ever shown her concern above the assuring the image of the clan was maintained. It felt so odd that the boy leading her into the room had such caring in his eyes, despite what she knew from his childhood and how he had been treated. Hinata wasn't entirely sure how to take it, but rather quickly she decided she liked the feeling.

"Good Morning Iruka-Sensei!"Naruto called at the sight of his favorite teacher.

"Welcome Back Naruto," Iruka said, "It's good to see you, I take it your clan training was put to good use?"

"You bet! I'll be Hokage in no time now!" the blonde told him.

As Naruto spoke with Iruka the rest of the class immediately broke out in quiet whispers at his new clothing and return to the academy. Rumors also began to abound the moment they saw Hinata walking in next to him. With the announcement of his heritage only a short time before his return to the academy the students were still caught in a whirlwind of insecurity and unknown.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with interest and curiosity, curious if the supposed dead last was merely hiding his potential now but ultimately dismissing the thought since as far as he was concerned Naruto was Naruto and a new last name wouldn't change that. But still, part of him was tinged with jealousy at the realization that Naruto had been returned something so precious, something he would have given anything for, his mother.

Ino looked at her fellow blonde and was trying to decide if his new clothes and heritage made him a rival for her Sasuke.

Sakura simply dismissed Naruto tending to side with her mother's opinion that he was still just the dead last and would never amount to anything while Sasuke was a true elite and worth her attention.

Shikamaru sighed and muttered something about troublesome blondes before returning to his morning nap while Choji grinned at Naruto, happy that he had something good for him in his life.

Shino was undecided as to his feelings about the sudden upheaval in the village and determined that he needed more observations on his loud classmate before coming to a conclusion.

Kiba shrugged, he figured he was the top dog in class and a fancy new last name wouldn't change that, only hard work and strength meant anything to the Inuzuka clan heir.

As the classroom continued to vibrate with talk, most of it revolving around Naruto, his clothes, his heritage, or in a few cases, that Hinata was seen walking into the classroom with him, Naruto was finishing up his conversation with his sensei.

"My mom wanted to meet you Iruka-Sensei, I told her about you and she wants to meet you to discuss some stuff," Naruto told his teacher whose eyes widened slightly.

"Uh, sure Naruto, just tell her to stop by any time she would like after class or set up a meeting ok?"

"Alright Sensei!" Naruto said he moved away to find a seat in the class. There weren't many left at this point and he ended up sitting down next to Shino with a spare opening that Hinata quietly took to his right. Iruka took control of the class in short order and began to go over their lesson plan for the coming week.

**Kushina**

While Naruto, Hinata, and their classmates were safely learning under their sensei the headmaster of the academy was trying to think of any excuse possible to escape his current predicament. He was tied to his chair with a very angry Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze, Kakashi Hatake, Tsunade Senju, and Jiraiya surrounding him discussing how he would be dismembered, electrocuted, skinned and salted, broken into tiny bits, blinded, and all manner of other potentially horrible, yet non-lethal, torture methods so as to prolong the life and pain of said headmaster before them.

Kushina smiled sweetly at him, "You didn't really think you could get away with miss-training my son for almost his entire time at the academy did you? I know all about how the instructors would refuse to answer his questions, kick him out of class for no reason to force him to miss important lessons, teach him improper taijutsu stances and attacks which left wide open holes in his defenses, and all manner of other things which upset myself and his godparents to no end!"

Kushina looked at the headmaster in the eye, her own going cold and hard, "You see, we happened to have a few of your instructors speak with Ibiki and they informed us they only conducted these actions at your direction. While they may have agreed with your sentiment they were at least professional enough not to deliberately sabotage a child's education with the intent of getting him killed. So what I want to know is why you went out of your way to try and get my son killed?"

Sweating at his predicament the headmaster, a balding older chunin who had seen little action in the past few years, came to a decision. Seeing few options before him and knowing if he refused to answer he would just receive an immense amount of pain the headmaster caved, "It-it wasn't mean to kill him! I swear it!"

"Then what was it meant to do?" Jiraiya asked as his eyes narrowed.

The headmaster licked his lips and looked at Jiraiya and back to Kushina, "I was paid to make sure the boy's teaching was incorrect. Lord Danzo promised it was the only way to ensure the safety of the village. He wanted to train the boy because of what is inside him but Lord Hokage refused. I think he thought if the child was treated badly here he would drop out and then he could take him away and train him the way he always wanted too. I swear, he said it was for the best interest in the village!"

"And of course you didn't question any of it, despite that it was hurting a student's education. You were only too happy to help in the scheme weren't you?" Tsunade said as she cracked her knuckles.

A smart man would have taken stock of their situation and wisely kept their mouth shut. The headmaster was not a smart man.

"He shouldn't be allowed near normal people! He's evil! A Monster! He…" and that was the last chance the headmaster got to speak as Tsunade silenced him with strike behind his head. Not enough to kill but enough to render him unconscious while Jiraiya and Kakashi held a very angry Kushina back from killing the man.

"We need him alive Kushina! Calm down! He might have valuable information!" Jiraiya yelled as the redhead continued to break free of his grasp to tear the throat out of the man before her.

It was 10 minutes later and the headmaster of the academy had been turned over to ANBU while a very angry Kushina was still glaring at anything within eyesight. She knew someone had been behind her son's miss-training but for it to be Danzo just made her furious! He had not only stolen ten years of her life with her son but also done everything in his power to ensure he could gain access to him to turn him into one of his pawns! Then and there Kushina vowed that when she found the old war hawk she would end his existence.

**Hinata**

Hinata tried hard to remain focused on her sensei's words but the close proximity of her crush and the words of her father kept distracting her. She had managed to sit next to him and walk with into class the way her father had told her but now she was lost. She had no idea what to do next. The class had been buzzing the moment Naruto had walked in with his new clothes.

Thinking of Naruto's new clothing she stole another glance at the boy and blushed deeply. She had liked his orange jumpsuit but the blue pants, black shirt, and blue vest really colored made him look simply _hot_! Her blush deepened as she stole a second glance. She had been so nervous that morning about just talking to him and his family that she had been unable to focus on Naruto's new look but now that they were in class there was little to distract her from stealing glances at the blonde seated next to her.

The rest of the class had taken Naruto's appearance in stride. Most of them seemed to be unsure what to think of their blonde classmate. Sasuke appeared to dismiss him outright while Sakura hardly gave him a second glance before continuing to favor her fan-girl fanaticism focus on the last Uchiha. The other clan heirs appeared to take everything in stride, their parents had probably discussed Naruto's new status with them after the announcement by the Hokage.

It was the remaining civilian and shinobi children whose reaction Hinata focused on. The girls in the class seemed to be split between those who were remaining loyal to the Sasuke Uchiha fan club and those showing signs of interest in Naruto. It didn't take a genius to guess that they were seeing the Namikaze clan name and the potential fortune that being involved with Naruto could bring. This made them dangerous and Hinata wasn't entirely sure how to handle it.

Hinata looked down at her desk and frowned at the thought of the other girls her class suddenly showing interest in her crush. Sure, she had seen Naruto ask Sakura out on dates plenty of times, but secretly she knew Sakura would never agree and never felt threatened by any of it. But never before had she actually spoken with her crush or held his hand and now she did feel slightly threatened by the other girls who she saw giving Naruto glances in class but she simply didn't know how to deal with it.

The boys in the class looked at Naruto as if dazed. They had been raised on stories of the 4th Hokage and his achievements during the third great ninja war. They worshiped him as a hero to a point where it was almost a cult at times. Finding out that the class outcast and dead-last was his son had sent a massive shock through their collective systems and they were still trying to decide how they felt about it.

Hinata sighed to herself, it was all suddenly so much more complicated than it should have been. She had always dreamed of just going on a date, maybe taking a walk near one of the rivers that ran by Konoha or going out to dinner or seeing a movie. There had never been other girls she had to worry about before, clan politics hadn't been involved, but now it felt like she was just being reminded how insignificant she was. After all, why would Naruto want her when he could probably have anyone now? Sighing again Hinata decided to just try her best to be near Naruto like her father had told her and adopt a friendship with him first.

**Naruto**

Naruto was having the time of his life in his first class back at the academy. He understood what Iruka-Sensei was talking about! Chakra theory, Konoha history, Shinobi principles, it all made sense now after the weeks of study with his godfather and Kakashi! It was so exhilarating for him that he didn't even realize at first when bell rang and they were released for lunch.

Standing up Naruto looked to Hinata who was still seated and smiled, "Hey Hinata, would you like to eat lunch together?"

The shy Hyuga nodded and Naruto's smile got wider, "Awesome! Let's go outside, I know a great spot under a tree we could eat lunch together under."

Hinata didn't trust herself to respond since she was trying to keep herself from fainting at the thought of eating lunch with Naruto and merely nodded again as a small smile graced her lips and a deep blush covered her face knowing that Naruto wanted to eat lunch with her.

Naruto looked to his other side and saw that Shino was getting ready to leave as well and waved at him, "Hey Shino, would you like to join Hinata and I for lunch?"

Shino paused a moment to consider the situation. It would be a good chance to obtain first hand observations of the newly found Namikaze heir and it made sense to share a meal to increase a bond with a comrade to further effectiveness of the unit as a whole.

"Yes. Thank you Naruto," Shino told him.

Together the three made their way outside to a large oak tree Naruto had always sat under to make his instant Ramen. Today though his mother had packed him a special lunch! It was all home cooked and included a much larger supply of cookies that Naruto needed with a note:

_Dear Naru, I hope your friends will enjoy these cookies with you!_

_ Love, Mom!_

The note was followed by a hand drawn stick figure of a woman giving a victory sign and Naruto grinned, "Hey, my mom packed extra cookies, would you guys like some?"

"Y-yes, th-thank you, N-Naruto," Hinata told him as she accepted some.

"Please extend my thanks to your mother," Shino said Naruto passed him some cookies as well.

It was during the exchange Naruto noticed the bugs coming out of Shino's sleeve and stared for a moment, Shino did not seem upset but did raise an eyebrow over his sunglasses at Naruto's reaction, "Do you dislike bugs Naruto?" he asked.

"Not at all, that's really cool! My godfather told me the Aburame clan has hives inside their bodies for your bugs to live in. So do they eat food you give them? Do they enjoy cookies?" Naruto asked him with interest obvious in his energetic voice.

Shino sat for a moment before answering, "That is correct. At birth we are given a hive which is bonded with our bodies. We feed our partners food outside our bodies which they carry back to the hive inside but in dire situations they can absorb nutrients directly from within our bodies. My partners typically prefer fish to cookies."

"Wow, that is really cool. I guess that way you never have to worry about being alone," Naruto said with a smile.

Shino answered several more questions about his partners during the meal as he observed Naruto. He was slightly surprised when Naruto asked if his partners had a preference in food or if they disliked water, no one had ever asked him things like that before. He began to find himself re-evaluating the blonde boy and decided he would need a much greater time of observation to come to any conclusions with him.

Hinata smiled as she saw Naruto talk with Shino. Hinata had always liked Shino's company because he was quiet and didn't judge her like so many others. When Naruto turned his attention to her she would quietly answer and tried her best to be friendly to her crush.

Near the end of the meal Hinata's attention became focused on the number of girls who were looking over at the trio eating together. They didn't even try to hide their interest in what was taking place. Hinata couldn't hear what they were saying but by the giggling and blushes she knew it was about Naruto and she looked down slightly dejected at the thought of one of them asking Naruto to sit with them tomorrow for lunch, sure that he would rather sit with one of them.

The sound of the bell woke the young Hyuga heiress from her internal struggle. Naruto and Shino had already risen to return to class when she saw Naruto's hand reached out to her, "Come on Hinata, we don't want to be late."

Hinata blushed deeply again and took his hand as he pulled her up with a big smile before following them back inside for the remaining half of class.

**Kushina**

Kushina, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were waiting for Naruto when the academy classes let out. Normally it would just be one of them to pick him up but they all wanted to be there. Gai was out of the village on a mission and Kakashi were setting up some training equipment for later. The three were talking animatedly about old missions and comrades when they saw a blonde blur exit the build and speed toward them.

Naruto latched onto his mother with a tight hug, "Hi Mom!"

Naruto jumped through the last few steps and Kushina caught him a tight embrace only a mother and child could have. The emotions running around the two were like a force of nature. They were family, and no matter the time stolen from them, the bond between a mother and her child could never be erased or more cherished.

The scene was something that both mother and son had been wanting for over a decade. Kushina had always pictured herself picking up her child at the academy and giving him or her a hug before going home. She had longed for this all through her pregnancy and one of the few memories she had of her parents were of her mother doing this very act for her before she left for Konoha. It was one of the few things she could share with her son that meant the world to her. The emotions running through her were like a jolt to her system, as she realized another of her dreams was finally coming true. She was here for her son, even after all the long years away she was finally able to make good on her promise to always be there for him.

She held her son in her arms and fought back a bout of tears and smiled. Her heart swelled as she finally got to do something that so many others took for granted. Something so simple meant the world to the mother and son who had been separated so long and it was a moment neither would forget for the rest of their lives. The only thing that could make this moment better was if Minato had been with them but somehow she could feel his presence there, as if he was hugging Naruto with her.

Naruto couldn't help but feel like he was bursting with happiness. _His_ mother was waiting for him after class. He had sat in the nearby swing and watched so many times before as mothers and fathers picked up their kids from the academy. They were always so happy, talking about their day and having their parents listen and tell them how proud they were. He had envied them, wished on countless stars, and prayed so many nights that one day he could have this in his life as well and now that he did he never wanted to let it go.

Jiraiya and Tsunade took a step back to let them have the private moment together and just watched quietly as mother and son held each other in an instance where time seemed to stop as both their dreams came true.

Finally reality set in again and time reasserted itself and Kushina had to set her son down smiling happily, "How was your first day back Naru?"

"It was awesome! I understood everything and it all made so much sense so I wasn't nearly as bored or lost a usual!" Naruto told her with excitement.

Once Kakashi had realized how minimal Naruto's knowledge base was he understood why the boy was always sleeping in class. He didn't understand the material being taught and if he couldn't understand it, it became boring and he wouldn't simply ignore it. With the basic knowledge to understand the lectures Naruto found he could pay much better attention and follow the classes much easier and found that helped him stay awake and focused.

Kushina smiled, "We want to hear all about it but I wanted to talk to your friend Hinata a moment, ok?"

Naruto nodded before turning around and following his mother toward the dark haired Hyuga girl and her branch member bodyguard.

"Excuse me, could I bother you a moment?" Kushina said with a smile.

Hinata bowed to the Namikaze clan head before responding, "O-of course L-lady Ku-Kushina."

Kushina smiled warmly again, "I was wondering if you and your father would like to come over this Saturday Hinata? I've been meaning to speak with him and I know Naruto would like to have someone to play with close to his own age."

"Yeah Hinata, that would be so awesome to have you over! You should see the clan district, it's so awesome! I'll show you all around the mansion and I bet you'll love the rose garden!" Naruto said as he spoke a thousand words a minute making Kushina roll her eyes as she remembered herself doing the same thing at his age.

"I-I'll a-ask f-f-father if w-we c-can co-come over S-Satur-urday," Hinata told the red head.

"Perfect, just let Naruto know at school and we'll plan to see you all Saturday around 11 a.m.," Kushina told her with another smile before steering her son back towards his godparents but not before he waved goodbye to Hinata and told her he would see her tomorrow in class.

Hinata's heart gave a tiny jump in her chest at the words, _He wants to see me tomorrow? Naruto wants to see me tomorrow, I didn't mess things up too much that he doesn't want to see me again!_

"Very good Lady Hinata, I am sure Lord Hiashi will be very pleased," Toa told her as they began their walk back toward the Hyuga manner.

While Hinata and Toa moved to deliver the invitation Kushina had sent to Hiashi, Kushina had other thoughts going through her head for the reason behind the sought out meeting, _Once I get Hiashi away from his clan and in a safe location where he can't be overheard maybe I can get to the bottom of this mystery with his daughter. Something is just wrong here, he was never like that before and I can't see him as being someone to change so easily. I just hope that whatever the problem is it hasn't gone so far it can be fixed._

**Many Miles Away Later that Evening**

A lone Shinobi raced through the hard streets of Iwagakure. His movements were almost desperate, exhausted, and in a mad sprint toward the center of the village. It was obvious that the man had been hard pressed for several days to reach his home so quickly.

He rushed through the tower built into the rocky cliffs of his home and through the doors to his Kage's office. The old Kage looked at him with a raised eye as he saw the state of the shinobi before him. His entire body was stressed beyond the breaking limit and his gear was soaked through with sweat. His eyes were bloodshot showing signs of very little sleep.

"What is the meaning of this?" the old Kage asked.

"Lord, word reached our outpost two days ago from one of our spies in Konohagakure via mole summons. The third Hokage has announced the survival of the Crimson Death! Kushina Uzumaki and that was the wife of the yellow bastard Minato Namikaze! And they had a Son, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze!

The old Kage's eyes widened at this information and was quiet for a moment, lost in thoughts of his past and the many deaths caused by the famed 'yellow flash', "You did well to reach me immediately with this information. I want you to get some rest before returning to your outpost, dismissed!"

_So, you had a son after all you bastard_, _I suppose if we can't have you perhaps your son will be a fitting replacement,_ the Tsuchikage thought to himself as an evil grin rose to his lips.


	11. Revelations Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I make no money from this fan fiction, its merely for fun!

Author's Note: Ok, I know it's been a while since I last updated, please don't hurt me! I actually had this update more or less completed weeks ago but I recently had several things in real life grab me away and was only just able to do my final draft of this update. This is a two part update and I will try and get the part 2 out in a much more timely manner this time. It is probably the longest single update I have done to date and I hope you all enjoy it, I tried hard to get it right so as always please review and let me know what you think!

Note: I redid this chapter with a new punishment for Jiraiya! I hope you enjoy it!

Author Responses:

Kitsumaru's-Edge: Hey would it be possible to give naruto a Mythucal Creature Contract? not just one of them but all of them. like dragons, vampires, werewolves, hydra's fairies all sorts of magical stuff like that but each creature has a test naruto must pass. Because i would find it unique and fun to do and naruto would always have something new to use and surprise people with and the pranks he could pull with them. ^^

Edaar: I've actually considered doing something like this before but the main issue I have with such a contract is it could be overpowering, I plan to make liberal use of the summons Naruto gets. My other concern is if he had such a contract he wouldn't be as bonded with a single summons the way he would if he only had say the Dragons or the Tigers or the Toads. I always felt the summons weren't given enough air time in a lot of stories so I want to let them out to have fun in both the normal day and in battle.

Culebra del Sol : As for the great Summoning debate, why CAN'T Naruto have more than one? Like a previous reviewer said, the blonde knucklehead has the talent and charm to pull off something like that.

Edaar: The only reason I have ever seen for Naruto not being able to have multiple contracts is the summons won't allow it due to the Honor granted in signing the contract. Now, if Naruto were perhaps to persuade the summons to let him sign another contract, I can totally seem him having two or three!

LoveLifeForever : I have a question. Why can't Naruto sign more than one contract? I understand it's a big honor to get to sign one, but I can honestly see him being able to pull off convincing the summons to let him sign more than one, or even two. It would be interesting to see. I've often seen a reference made to a chameleon summon that could have been recovered out of the Land of Honey.

Also, while the Monkey contract is apparently for the Sarutobi family, Naruto always seemed to be pretty tight with Konohamaru and the Third. His definition of family definitely goes by more than blood, and I wonder sometimes how the Monkey clan defines it. Hmmmmm...

Is Naruto going to train in seals? It's the biggest part of his heritage. Will he ever learn/recreate the Hirashin? Will he be trained in more than one element later on. Even though it is mentioned that Sarutobi can use every jutsu in the village that isn't clan specific and Kakashi has shown proficiency in all five elements as well, almost every story I read has Naruto sticking to mostly wind jutsu, if it isn't ignored altogether. With his chakra levels, the nut could pull off collaboration jutsu by himself! It's a big waste.

Edaar: I've never seen a reason for Naruto not to be able to have multiple contracts and I promise the Monkey's are going to be having a say when the final decision comes down it. They have to put those toads and slugs in their place after all! Naruto will definitely be training seals, it is a major part of his heritage for the story and has major implications later on. Naruto will make use of other affinity jutsu's as well, but you'll have to wait and see what they are and how he uses them and why he learns them ;)

Anonymous: Oh I have somthin to ask are you gonna do some artwork for this? Like naruto in his outfit or somthing or him and his mom? That would be cool. UPDATE SOON! please? For me? With a cherry on top?

Edaar: Sadly I lack the artistic skills to do any artwork for the story, I always wished I did but if someone else with the talent wanted to do some work I'd be happy to post it on both my profile and link it in the story for everyone to see!

ArmorOfGeddon : Youy know, as cool as I find his powers to be, I never understood what Kishimoto was thinking when he made the Tsuchikage. The guy can fly (and allow other people to fly as well)... and apparently has an attack so powerful that it can potentially destroy an entire island (and he has a son who can create stone walls large enough to crush a giant summon)! Why hasn't this guy leveled Konoha yet? I could see Minato defeating him, but Oonoki would have crushed Sarutobi, Jiraiya, or any of the other Leaf-ninja living in the village without ever being struck back!

Edaar: I think that the issue comes down to timing. During the war Konoha had Minato to stop him and then afterwards he didn't have a reason to start a war with Konoha because it had been too long. And even after that you could say Itachi was there even after Minato's death. I also wouldn't discount either Sage mode or Sarutobi, despite everything he faced down Orochimaru and 2 resurrected Hokage's and managed to hold his own, that's saying a lot. So I think there was more there to stop him than we give credit for.

**Chapter 10: Revelations Part 1**

The week passed quickly and with few incidents for Naruto and his family, well, for most of his family. As soon as Naruto had resumed his daily activities at the academy Kushina had decided it was time to exact some long overdue vengeance on his absent godparents. Of course, neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade knew said vengeance was coming.

They had just returned from walking Naruto to his second day at the academy. The group of adults were laughing and telling old stories about their own times at the academy. It made everyone feel good to laugh together, somehow it seemed right, as if it had been missing over the past few months filled with the uncertain stress of dealing with the council, village, and the return of Jiraiya and Tsunade. Jiraiya, in particular, had been a rather obnoxious troublemaker and felt comfortable to reveal his part in many of the schemes and pranks which had always left the teachers bewildered but also left Tsunade wondering if Orochimaru really should have been the rookie of the year in their graduating class.

The day was shining bright and the sky was a clear blue as the group made their way into the Namikaze district. As they entered the mansion Kushina motioned for them to follow her to a back room. The room wasn't overly large, maybe a bit larger than a small bedroom but in it was contained a long desk, chair, with a large seal on the back wall and a bag and key sitting on the desk. Looking curiously Jiraiya began to feel nervous as he saw the seal was a very large, and very powerful silencing seal, typically used for torture and interrogation rooms, but not even the Konoha T&I department had one that complex and powerful.

"Um, Kushina, what's with all of this?" he asked, his voice slightly apprehensive and curious as his eyes began to assess the strange assortment of items.

"Well Jiraiya," Kushina purred, a low vibration that sounded almost like a feral growl, "I hope you didn't forget you and Tsunade owe me some rather major debt for being absent for the last ten years."

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock before narrowing and practically growled out her response, "Wait a minute Kushina! I would have been there if I had known, and you know that! I was lied to by both my sensei and teammate."

Tsunade crossed her arms and glared at the younger woman before who smiled sweetly at the angered blonde, "True, but did you ask about little Naru? No. Did you stick around after the Kyubi fight to find out if he was alright? No. Did you ever question them? No. Did you do anything at all during the entire course of the last ten years that would have investigated, looking into, or considered that Naru might be alive? I would have thought, as a medic, you would have been the first to want solid evidence and proof of my son's death rather than believing second hand accounts."

Tsunade's glare softened and she winced slightly at the accusations. She knew the accusations were true, she hadn't tried to find out anything about her godson's chance of being alive. She had simply accepted he was dead without so much as showing up for the funeral.

"Ok, I'll give on that, it is true. But I spent the last ten years beating myself up over the loss of everyone I cared about. Don't you think you're asking a bit much from us? We did come here just to be with Naruto and you after all," Tsunade pointed out.

Kushina seemed to be grow slightly thoughtful for a moment, as if considering their fate, before responding, "Tsunade, you are my cousin, my friend, and my mentor in many ways but you can either accept I'm going to administer some form of punishment this way _or_ you can walk out that door and we can see how you feel about having to watch your back the next few months wondering what I've got as my back-up plan and knowing you'll never see it coming cousin," Kushina told her in a rather level and reasonable tone, as if she were discussing the weather and nothing important.

Tsunade glared at Kushina considering her options and decided that she'd rather get whatever the red-head had devised over with up front than risk a series of most likely disturbing pranks and likely lack of sake for the next few months or perhaps years.

"Now now Tsunade," Kushina told her consolingly, "I know this isn't entirely you're fault… Keep your hand off that door Jiraiya," Kushina snapped as the white haired sannin attempted to slide away during the two female's conversation. His hand was almost to the door when Kushina caught him and he sighed in resignation at his fate.

"As I was saying, I know it's not your fault so what I want from you isn't nearly so bad as what I want from Jiraiya. You'll actually find it rather useful after all." Kushina informed her cousin.

Tsunade raised a questioning eyebrow as Kushina picked up the key next to her, "This key is to the hospital's blood bank," Tsunade's eyes widened in fear at the words, "I want you to overcome your homophobia by treating patients in the blood bank and at times while other patients are donating blood. You will be surrounded by blood and you _WILL_ find a way to overcome that fear Tsunade."

Tsunade reaction was instantaneous, her heart beat became erratic, her eyes widened, she began to take deep breaths and almost fell to her knees, "NO! Anything but that Kushina! You know why I'm like that, you know what kinds of memories that will bring up," Tsunade said as unshed tears from long ago memories began to threaten to make their way to the surface, already the thoughts of her little brother and dead lover coming to her mind along with all of the blood she held on her hands. Even now she still saw that blood on her hands. She saw her lover's face, Dan's face, growing paler and paler, his eyes beginning to lose the light of life, his will of fire burning slowly away. She remembered the blood on her hands as she desperately tried to save him. She remembered staring at her hands for hours afterward, the unwashed blood and mud on them, it was enough to break her then and there.

And then Kushina's voice snapped her back to reality, "No Tsunade, you need this. Unless you face this fear and those memories you will be unable to ever perform your duties as a medic and godmother effectively," Kushina told her with a hardness in her voice that said there would be no compromise in this.

Tsunade closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. As a doctor she knew her homophobia was a seriously liability, yet it was one she had accepted because for the last ten years she never considered herself a fully practicing doctor anymore. But her cousin was right, she needed to move on, and if this was the push she needed then so be it.

Tsunade nodded to Kushina, determination entering her eyes despite the evident fear still present in her body language. Jiraiya looked at Tsunade and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before smiling and turning his attention to Kushina Namikaze.

"Do your worst Kushina. I know I deserve whatever it is I get and probably ten times more than that for the past ten years," he said with a solemn look on his face. Jiraiya was many things but he was not one to shirk his responsibilities and he had fled cowardly rather than face the harsh realities that taking Naruto would have brought.

Kushina nodded to him, "Good, because I want something that Minato wanted from you many years ago."

Both curious as to what the young woman had in mind they watched as she pushed the chair at the wooden table back, "You see Jiraiya, I thought about a lot of things I could do to you. But either you'd already had worse, Tsunade had done worse herself and you've somehow managed to control your perverted habits since coming back. Then I remembered a discussion that Minato and I had about three months before Naruto was born."

Jiraiya and Tsunade nodded as Kushina moved toward Jiraiya and held up her hand in front of the old perverts face, "He always hated how you never completed your first book series Jiraiya. He always wished you had never given up and switched to that smut. So I want you to finish that series. I want a sequel to the Gutsy Shinobi."

Kushina opened her hand and in it was a pen and she was holding it out to him.

"You lost your way Jiraiya. Yes you are still an amazing shinobi but you could be so much more. Your heart was torn by Orochimaru, then it was crushed by the woman you loved, and finally it was decimated by the loss of the man you thought of as a son. I think it is time you started recovering from that. It's time you remembered everything you've forgotten about being a shinobi and you're going to start by giving my son and I the sequel Minato always wanted."

Jiraiya looked at the pen in Kushina's raised hand as if it was a viper. He had given up writing serious books when his first had failed as a novel. It wasn't that he hadn't tried to write another but that he simply didn't have the inspiration. True, Minato and Kushina had loved it and even named their son after its main character but… he wasn't sure he had it in him to write a sequel. However, much like Tsunade, Jiraiya felt he needed this. He needed to move on beyond his pain and his past and, just perhaps, this would help him.

"I…Kushina I don't know if I can do that," Jiraiya said as he slowly raised his hand and his fingers touched the pen, "I have so many ghosts in my past, but you're right, Minato always wanted a sequel. I can't say if it will be any good but I'll try Kushina. I will try, for Minato, and you, and Naruto."

Jiraiya's took up the pen from Kushina's hand and on steady feet walked to the table and sat down in the chair. Kushina activated the seal to ensure the old shinobi would have complete privacy and she and Tsunade left him to work through his ghosts.

**Hinata**

The past five days had been like a dream to the shy Hyuga heiress. Since coming home Monday after class she had been praised for spending time with her crush! Her father hadn't scolded or talked down to her, and the elders seemed to act only as if she didn't exist rather than as if she was a stain on the clans honor. As sad as it was that this was an improvement, it allowed the shy girl, if only for a short time, a chance to finally be free of the oppressive nature of her family.

**Flashback to Monday**

Hinata and her branch body guard had made the walk back to the Hyuga compound in silence. This was not unusual for the duo since showing emotion was considered one of the greatest flaws any Hyuga could have. Furthermore it was an almost unspoken rule that the being friendly with the Hyuga heiress would bring the wraith of the clan elders and possibly even the clan leader upon them. It was well known that the heiress was disliked among the main branch family and it was rumored her sister was being groomed to take over for Hinata and she would be placed within the branch family for her weakness.

However, among the branch members, Hinata was seen as somewhat of a long sought hope. For several generations the branch family had hoped for a change in the old belief of superiority among the main family. When it became apparent that Hinata held both a hatred for the seal and a kind personality there was a secret hope that the change they sought might finally come true. So while many of the branch family may have viewed Hinata's shy, kind personality with inner joy and wished her luck they would never be so bold as to show such a sentiment openly for fear of the main branches wrath.

The moment they entered the compound Hinata was summoned to her father's study. Hiashi sat on a padded mat waiting for his daughter and with a sharp motion of his head indicated her to take a seat before him. Hinata shivered a moment under her father's icy gaze before bowing and kneeling.

"Give me a report of today's events with the Namikaze boy," Hiashi told her, his gaze cold and hard as if to convey his expectation of the correct answer.

Hinata took a deep breath before answering, "Y-yes, sir. I-I me-met N-naruto an-and introduced my-myself t-to L-lady Ku-Kushina N-Namikaze, L-Lady Ts-Tsunade, an-and Lord Ji-Jiraiya as d-directed. I-I then as-asked to es-escort Naruto to th-the cl-classroom. I-I al-also to-took th-the seat n-next to h-him and h-had l-lunch wi-with hi-him and Sh-Shino A-Aburame."

Hiashi nodded to her as she completed her report, "Well done daughter, you have begun to ingratiate yourself into the Namikaze heir's life. Continue to take the seat next to him and meet him at the beginning of the academy day. You must also be aware of others who will attempt to seek the boy's attention now that he has returned to the academy and a more public life. Make sure to discourage them quietly, do not allow one of them to get close to him but do so discreetly."

Hinata nodded before continuing, "S-sir, L-lady Kushina h-has a-asked you and I t-to co-come o-over this Saturday t-to th-the N-Namikaze ho-home shortly be-before noon."

Had Hinata not been staring at the ground she would have noticed the almost imperceptible raise of eyebrows on Hiashi's face betraying his shock at this turn of events. Sure, he knew eventually Hinata may be invited to the Namikaze district and home but this seemed sudden even to the Hyuga clan leader.

_What are you planning Kushina_, Hiashi thought to himself while outwardly responding to his daughter.

"Well done Hinata, you have exceeded my expectations and convey my acceptance to the invitation by Lady Kushina, we shall meet with them this Saturday," Hiashi told her with dismissal obvious in his voice.

**Flashback**

Since that meeting her father and the clan elders had become silent towards her. While most children would view this as a sign of anger or disappointment, Hinata was almost glad for it. Normally she would be forced to endure the wrath of her father's comments during her gentle fist training or the snide remarks of the elders as they passed her in the hallways or at dinner but instead they simply remained silent in her presence.

This was a new turn for the young girl. She had expected, at the least, to continue to receive the angered remarks on her failure during her clan training but even those comments had ceased. Her clan's prized fighting style caused her no amount of frustration. She never seemed to do things right no matter how much she practiced. Her body rebelled at the style and she never understood entirely the reason behind this.

Hinata couldn't count the number of hours she trained in her clan's style but always something was wrong, she was never fast enough, never strong enough, never talented enough, never good enough. She just didn't understand why her younger sister, three and a half years her junior, was already so talented that she could easily defeat Hinata in their clans style.

It was true, Hinata had trouble visualizing Hanabi, her sister, as an opponent but that should not have made it so easy for the younger sibling to overcome her in spars. The more the heiress thought of this, the further her self-confidence sunk.

_Why am I never good enough?_ Hinata thought to herself as she walked next to her father toward the academy. They were to meet Kushina and Naruto at the academy to be escorted to their home. Hiashi had been to the Namikaze district several times with the Fourth but had never been given a key to the district itself, thus, they required a member of the family bloodline to enter the time-space bubble that surrounded the Namikaze clans home.

Hiashi had always been curious as to the true extent of protection the barrier provided. It was a known marvel of sealing and ninjutsu that only the walls of iron wood summoned by the first hokage to surround and protect Konoha itself could match.

Hinata tried to glance at her father, he was so rigid, so cold, his face was completely devoid of emotion, ANBU masks contained more warmth than his face. As they entered the academy grounds they saw the blonde and red hair of their escorts waiting for them and suddenly Hiashi stopped causing Hinata to halt her advance.

"Give them a moment longer," Hiashi murmured to Hinata's surprise, she hadn't even seen his lips move but obeyed the almost silent command.

Hinata watched as Kushina pushed her son on the swing in the academy yard. Hinata remembered seeing Naruto sitting on the same swing after classes released. He had always looked so lost, so sad as he watched the children meet their families. Her heart had always melted for him when she saw that, and she wished many times she had the strength to speak to him and help him.

It was something so ordinary, so plain, but the looks on their faces told them that this simple act meant more to them than anything in the world. Kushina practically glowed with maternal warmth and joy while her son seemed as if the sun itself had become incarnate on the planet. It made Hinata's heart catch for a moment as the realization began to truly sink in at how lonely Naruto must have been that something so simple, so normal, could bring such a wide and joyous smile to his face.

Naruto sat in the swing's seat while Kushina pushed him from behind, they were laughing together. It was like a song, loud and strong and joyous. Kushina pushed her son higher and higher into the air and he would cry out in happiness as he laughed louder yelling to go even higher! Kushina smiled and her own softer laughter filled the background like melody to her son's harmony. It was such a simply pleasure, but such a moment was one they each had dreamed of for so long.

A small, shy smile adorned Hinata's face as she remember how Naruto would sit alone on that very swing, his face downcast and his eyes so empty and lost. It felt good to see him smile, and to replace those visions with new ones. A small voice reminded her that her father had been the one to halt them to give the mother and son a few more minutes of uninterrupted happiness. She began to wonder why her father had done that, she had never seen him commit a single act of kindness before, not without reason behind it for the benefit of their clan.

Hinata's thoughts were interrupted as Naruto and Kushina noticed the Hyuga pair and waved to them and moved toward them. Naruto, a small yellow blur, hugged Hinata almost causing her to faint and topple the two children on the ground.

Hiashi frowned slightly at the display but before he could say anything Kushina sighed and spoke up, "Naru, how often have I told you people don't always like to be tackle hugged? Now apologize and greet Hinata and her father properly," she told him.

Naruto grinned, not the least bit ashamed of what he had done, "Sorry Hinata, my apologizes Lord Hiashi. It is a pleasure to meet you and I am glad you could join us today," Naruto said a bit more formally as he bowed to the Hyuga clan leader, although he never lost his fox-like grin.

Hiashi's right eyebrow moved ever slightly to show his surprise at the manners the boy had learned in such a short time, "Thank you for the invitation, I am glad we could accept."

"Let's get going, I know the children want to play and Naruto is looking forward to showing Hinata all around the clan district," Kushina said as the group began the short walk to the barrier-entrance to the Namikaze District.

**Hokage Tower**

The hokage quietly listened to the tall man before him while he played absently with his pipe in his hands, "And you think this could be the work of Root?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure, it could just be a coincidence but my gut tells me something is wrong with the situation and it would fit their method of operation," the tall man before the Hokage responded. He had a bandana on and wore a black and gray trench coat with the ends of several scars poking down the sides of his scalp from beneath the bandana.

"We probably wouldn't have even picked up on it if I hadn't happened to walk into the mission request room at that moment and even then I didn't think of it until today. We've had four requests to look into missing children. All of them were orphans, all were no old than five. It piqued my interest so I started digging. It's not unusual for us to receive missing person requests but all four were similar cases which meant either someone targeting them specifically or possibly a group effort. It's not just 5 or 6 kids lord hokage, it's over 120. They've gone missing from all over fire country, usually only 1 or 2 from any given village or town, all were orphans which it why most were not reported to authorities and only a few had the money to request us to investigate. Most probably assumed the children ran away."

The old hokage closed his eyes, he had never thought Danzo would stoop this low, but after going through the report on his desk for the last few days he could believe the man was capable of anything.

Sarutobi sighed, "Ok, put a tracker team on it and see what you can find out. Also, this report is entirely correct, there were no errors in any of the blood tests?"

Ibiki nodded, "Yes sir."

"Very well, also tell them to send me Sasuke Uchiha immediately as well," he told his trusted head of the torture and investigations department.

With a nod the tall man left the office to carry out his orders as the old Hokage lit his pipe and wondered at the past mistakes he had made and if they would not come back to haunt him now.

**Naruto**

Naruto had never been so happy in his life. It was Saturday, the sun was shining, the air was warm and for the young blonde it had been the greatest week he had ever attended the academy. He understood the lectures by his sensei's, he was able to answer the questions put to him correctly, no one made him leave the rooms for no reason, he wasn't blamed for things he never did, he didn't get yelled at by the teachers, well, unless he deserved it for pranking someone, and Hinata and Shino had eaten with him for lunch every day!

He had come to look forward to seeing Hinata and walking into class with her. She always sat next to him and never tried to pry into his life. Some other girls had tried to talk him and he was polite, his mother finally having beat some sense of manners into his head when it came to girls, and it was not lost on anyone that Naruto had a small but growing fan-club due to his new clothes, heritage, and now the sudden showing of genius that looked to possibly rival the supposedly great Last Uchiha. But what had sent his star in the academy sky rocketing was the day before, on Friday, during their weekly spars.

**Flashback**

The class was outside gathered around a small raised square of stone that had been erected for practice matches. Iruka and another professor, Tiran, were watching the academy students fight one on one matches to determine their weekly rankings in the academy.

Every week the academy followed the standard curriculum. Each class was assigned a personal sensei, in this case Iruka, who was the class's sensei throughout their entire time at the academy, similar to a homeroom teacher. Then there were specialized sensei for other training classes who joined the personal sensei in helping instruct the students in particular areas, typically this involved things like chakra manipulation, taijutsu, physical training, and gender specialized training.

There would be lectures in the morning on book knowledge usually consisting of history, basic jutsu theory, mathematics, etc. Iruka was assigned as the classes personal sensei and he was the one who handled the morning lectures and written tests. This was followed by physical training the afternoons consisting of obstacle courses, taijutsu training, and physical conditioning with either Iruka, a specialized sensei, or both. Then the final time was spent on jutsu training or gender training all of which culminated in one on one fights at the end of the week. Gender training was always something of a touchy subject. Boys typically ended up doing more taijutsu and physical conditioning while girls were taught important social graces and seduction techniques. Many of the girls always felt they were being treated unfairly when they were asked to learn flower arrangements rather than improve their physical strength like their male counterparts.

Today was Friday though so everyone was outside for the sparring sessions. Shino had already defeated Choji in an earlier match while Hinata and Naruto were still waiting for their chance to fight.

Hinata was poking her fingers together, cursing her nervous habit, and hoping she would do alright and possibly impress Naruto. Shino still hadn't reached any singular conclusions about the blonde but had decided that he enjoyed his company and it made sense to be part of a functioning unit to maximize their success output.

Hinata and Shino were standing next to Naruto when his name was called, "Ok, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze and Kiba Inuzuka, come on up."

"Yeah! Time to show everyone that it takes more than a fancy clan name to make you strong, I'm alpha around here, you're still the dead last and dead meat!" Kiba told him as he stepped onto the raised stone.

To everyone's surprise Naruto didn't say a word back as he walked up and bowed to Kiba, "Let us fight with honor and courage to the glory of our ancestors, Kiba," Naruto told him.

Iruka and Tiran both had looks of shock on their face, the saying Naruto had used was an old one, very old, and not used in common sparring matches today. The saying was actually from the time of the founding of Konoha, it was when clans would fight one another for honor to prove their worth and standing in the village, a practice that the first hokage had put a stop too since it saw many of his best shinobi placed in the hospital and not on missions where they were needed.

In fact the only reason Iruka and Tiran knew it was because they were required to know it to become instructors at the academy. The rest of the academy students were simply confused, they had never seen Naruto act this calmly and were wondering where the normal knuckleheaded blonde had gone and who this guy was.

"Uh, Naruto, that's a rather old saying, mind if I ask who taught it to you?" Iruka asked, truly curious as to where the blonde had learned the old saying.

Naruto grinned, placing his hands began his head before responding to his sensei, "My godfather taught it to me, he said it was important to always respect your opponent and never take a match lightly. He also told me to always fight my hardest, endure everything the enemy can throw at me, and never stop until my enemy was beaten!"

Iruka smiled, "Your godfather is a wise man. Very well, ready stances! Set! Begin!"

Naruto entered his preferred basic stance, his feet slightly farther than his shoulders, his left leg leading with his hands and arms forward and bent slightly at the elbow while his upper body remained erect. Kiba took his clan stance, his hands forward the palm toward the ground and his right leg extended and bent with the left leg following.

Kiba, thinking to end this quickly and prove to everyone that it took more than a clan name to be strong, rushed forward in a burst of speed bringing his knee up to Naruto's stomach.

Naruto reacted instantly by shifting his weight to his back leg, turning his hips, and twisting his body to flow around Kiba's attack. Kiba flew past Naruto, his forward motion too much for him to completely stop causing him to lose his balance and stumble.

Naruto took advantage of the opening and in a burst of speed brought his elbow upward and angled toward the back of Kiba's neck to the point between where the spinal cord and brain stem met just below the protection of the skull. Knowing that it was a weak point from his lessons with Kakashi Naruto made to end the match then and there only to feel his elbow caught by Iruka.

"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze" Tiran said.

"WHAT! But he never even touched me!" Kiba exclaimed, his face reddening from embarrassment at having lost so easily to the Namikaze heir.

"Kiba, if I hadn't stopped his attack it likely would have rendered you unconscious or very possibly broken your neck. Naruto's attack was aimed at the juncture just under the skull where the spinal cord meets the brain stem, a very hard to hit spot but you left it wide open. Naruto, you should avoid attacking locations which could have long term crippling affects on comrades in the future, understand?"

Naruto nodded, "Sure thing Iruka-sensei, he just left that spot wide open after all," he said with a chuckle and a grin at Kiba who was still fuming at his loss and humiliation and walked away muttering about how he would beat the blonde next time.

Naruto ignored Kiba though as he thought about the short fight. Kiba had moved as fast as normal but Naruto had known exactly what the Inuzuka heir was planning. His every move was telegraphed the way his godfather and Kakashi had said it would be if he understood the human body. He saw the slight change in the legs as the ligaments moved, the muscle bunching up as blood rushed there before he pushed off, the body tensing, the tells of a coming attack, he knew where the attack would come, and dodging it had been so simple, just like they said. They had also told him that an experienced fighter would be able to hide those tells and he guessed that most experienced fighters would never let him attack the back of their neck either.

Kiba's speed hadn't been that great either. Naruto had always been rather fast and with the conditioning they had put him through over the past two months he had become faster, steadier, more in control. It had taken every ounce of Naruto's self control not to taunt Kiba at his victory but his godfather's words stopped him, _Winning a single match means nothing Naruto, an enemy will always grow stronger and return so never place too much stock in a single victory. Learn from it and grow stronger so you don't lose the second time around!_

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted though as his second sensei spoke, "Naruto, where did you learn to attack that particular location?" Tiran asked, genuinely surprised, most academy students lacked the intimate knowledge of the human skeleton and body to go after 'soft' and 'weak' spots. Only a few could pull that off and they usually came from close combat clans such as the Hyuga and Uchiha, even then they were typically unable to fully exploit those attacks.

"My godfather and Kakashi-sensei had me study the human body so I could know where to strike to do the most damage," Naruto responded to his teacher.

Nodding Iruka smiled, "Well done Naruto," he told the boy before raising his voice, "Next will be Shikamaru Nara against Shin Nijurame."

Naruto had walked off the stage but was unable to completely ignore the stars which were shining in a small but growing number of girls in his class at his performance as thoughts passed through their head, _He's so cool! WoW! That's the Namikaze strength! He might be stronger than Sasuke!_

"Well done Naruto," Shino told him

"Y-yes, y-you di-did ve-very good, N-naruto," Hinata told him with a shy smile.

"Thanks guy! It was easy, Kiba never stood a chance!" Naruto told them as he grinned widely.

Even as the children were looking at Naruto in a new light there was one who held back, _Even if the dobe did manage to beat Kiba that means nothing. Kiba's a weakling, he could never stand against a true elite like me, an Uchiha!_ Sasuke thought to himself as he tried to place a cap on his growing jealousy at the blonde's rising fame. But in the back of his mind he kept asking questions, why did the dead-last get his mother back? Why was he getting so much attention? Why did he get special training from sannin? Sasuke finally shrugged his shoulders dismissing the thoughts, Kiba was weak, a loser beat another loser, there was no reason for him, an Uchiha, to bother with it.

**End Flashback**

Over the week Naruto had learned a lot about Hinata and Shino. Naruto liked that Hinata wasn't like other girls, she was just a friend like Shino. She and Shino were both really quiet most of the time but Naruto didn't mind since he had a habit of talking a lot to fill in the conversation gaps.

Shino's favorite color was a dark green or tan, he would spend hours each day communing with his colony to improve their harmony. Apparently the Aburame had several different kinds of beetles they could call upon and their bodies could hold up to seven separate colonies and queens but most only achieved holding three or four and it was rare to see more than that but his father and uncle both had all seven and he hoped to achieve the same. His ultimate goal was to breed an eighth kind of beetle for the clans use. Shino's favorite cookies were chocolate chip and his bugs liked raw fish the most for food.

Naruto found out Hinata had a younger sister, Hanabi, who she thought was better than her in every way. It bothered him that his friend felt she wasn't any good at anything and he had decided to try and help her become stronger. He also learned her favorite color was purple, she enjoyed flowers, gardening, pressing flowers, cooking, and she hoped to one day gain the respect of her clan.

It had been an amazing week for Naruto and he was so happy he barely noticed they had passed through the space-time barrier and were almost to the mansion.

**Kushina**

With the mansion now in sight Kushina decided she had waited long enough, it was time for answers.

She turned her head to her son, "Naruto, why don't you go show Hinata around the district and the mansion? I am sure she'd love to see the rose garden."

"Okay mom! Come on Hinata, this place is so amazing!" Naruto said as he grabbed her hand and led/dragged her away.

"Just be back in time for lunch!" Kushina yelled after the two as Hinata was dragged away.

Kushina smiled at her son, he was so much like her in so many ways.

Hiashi's lips upended for a moment at the sight which reminded him of Kushina and Minato when they were younger, "He is a lot like you Kushina."

"Yeah, he is, but you should see him when he is serious. It's like watching Minato all over again," she told the Hyuga beside her.

"So, do you want to tell me what's going on out here or inside? You know that no one can hear us here and we're completely separated from the village so even if there were seals on you to transmit anything they wouldn't work because of the space-time barrier," Kushina told him without even looking up from gazing at the rapidly disappearing visages of Naruto and Hinata.

Kushina remembered when Minato had explained the strange affect of the space-time bubble to her. Apparently it was an unexpected consequence of removing the district from the same time and space as the rest of the village. The district was, technically, slightly out of sync with the rest of the village's space and time so any seals meant to transmit anything outside of the distract wouldn't work because there was technically no place for the signals to go. The seals functioned but the signal they sent was simply dead without anywhere to connect too.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean Kushina," Hiashi asked with a straight face.

Kushina sighed, "Cut the crap Hiashi. That little girl is a train wreck of emotional and mental inferiority complexes that have just about crippled her in every way possible. I know I was out of it for almost a decade but you were never one to believe in all the Hyuga superiority complex and the whole emotionless, cold, stick-up-your ass crap. Hell, you and Hizashi were inseparable when we were younger and I know Hana never would have put up with the way you act toward Hinata, so why?"

Hiashi thought for a long moment and nodded toward the door to the mansion. Understanding the request the two clan heads made their way inside the mansion to the Namikaze library. Kushina activated both the mansion and library privacy and protection seals.

**Naruto**

Naruto was swiftly moving through the district pointing out the sights to his friend, "That is the clan jutsu library. It's closed now and hasn't been opened for almost thirty years. Even my dad wasn't sure how to open it. Mom said my grandfather sealed it when the Namikaze clan only numbered a dozen or so remaining and realized the clan was quickly dwindling and could die out. He didn't want the clans secrets to available to anyone who wanted to walk through the front door."

Hinata nodded as she looked at the large building. She knew that her own clan's library consisted of a large three story room approximately 35ft by 50 ft but the building before her now was almost the size of the Hyuga main branch mansion! It was also four stories high and most likely possessed underground archives. It looked old and uncared for, the white paint fading and chipped the fiery Namikaze symbol had turned a dull brownish color with time. But despite this the foundation was solid and the stone looked to be in good condition.

"N-Naruto, um, w-why is yo-your cl-clan library so-so l-large?" Hinata asked with a slight blush as she berated herself for her own ignorance.

Naruto grinned, "Because it contains the second largest collection of sealing scrolls and the largest known collection of space-time jutsu in the world! My mom told me the largest collection of sealing scrolls was in the whirlpool country under the Uzumaki clan. She also said that the library was so large because it has a lot of traps in it but I am not sure if that's true since my dad was never able to open it. Truthfully I don't know what else might be in there," Naruto said slightly thoughtfully as they came to the front doors of the library.

The doors weren't overly large, they were solid oak and a massive Kanji for the word 'Seal' was inscribed on them in what looked like faded blood.

The sight made Hinata shiver slightly. Naruto grinned and grabbed her hand again to drag her away to the next sight on his tour of the district.

**Kushina**

The moment the seals were activated Hiashi collapsed into one of the chairs in the library in a very unhyuga like fashion. It was an old, dark red leather chair which had obviously seen plenty of use and was very comfortable. Kushina took a seat in a matching sofa across from the chair and watched as the years seemed to both fall off and add onto Hiashi's face. It was an odd experience to watch, the Hyuga clan leader seemed to be almost having trouble controlling the muscles of his face, perhaps because it had been so long since they had been fully used.

Finally Hiashi's face relaxed as the emotions seemed to run their course and the muscles in his face returned to a more normal control and he took on the slightly younger and far less haughty express that Kushina remembered. Before speaking Hiashi leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees and intertwined his fingers, "You know about Hizashi and Hana's death correct?"

Kushina nodded as a look of sadness passed through her eyes, having learned of the deaths of her friends from Kakashi, "I'm sorry for your loses, I know it's late, but I will miss them greatly."

"Thank you, but there is something you should know. Hana did not die in child birth as has been reported to the village, she was murdered," Hiashi told her as cold anger colored his eyes.

"What? How could that have happened? She was the wife of the heir to the leadership of the Hyuga clan, hell, she would have been the wife of the clan leader by the time Hinata and Hanabi were born! Surely your clan would have protected her! Unless-" Kushina's eyes widened with realization as she connected the dots.

Hana was never liked when she was younger, considered to shy as a child and never covering her emotions as a 'proper' Hyuga would. And Hiashi was deemed foolish to marry such a girl. Without any strong supporters outside the clan, such as Minato or Hiruzen, the elder council would have little reason to hold back against Hiashi's family.

"Unless they were the ones involved in her murder, yes," Hiashi told her with a nod, confirming the thoughts going through Kushina's mind.

"Only the Hokage knows this Kushina and I trust you will show discretion and keep this information to yourself, it may mean life and death for Hinata. Many of the clan, particularly the branch family, loved Hana. She was beautiful, loving, kind, a tad shy at times growing up, and she never followed the belief in shutting out her emotions the way the rest of the Hyuga did. She was also one of the most talented female gentle fist users seen in generations. Watching her fight was like a dance, it always left me breathless. She even developed her own variation of the gentle fist. She was a delicate tulip amongst a garden of cold roses," Hiashi said as a sad smile came across his face and his eyes went distant at the memory of his long dead wife.

Kushina smiled at the memory of her friend and how Hiashi had been completely smitten by her. It took him years but she remembered the night that he had admitted to Minato, who subsequently told her, that the thing that had caught his heart about Hana was when he saw her dancing in the family gardens. He told them he had never seen so much love from one person and the joy and happiness she held had completely captured him.

"But there were some, the elders in particular, who did not agree with my choice to marry her. They believed her choices, her actions, her _emotions_ and, in particular, her kindness toward the branch family made her weak and me weak by association. They were scared, they feared that she would influence me along with Hizashi, to remove the seal and push for a combined house. They were terrified she would influence the next clan head, our child, in her views as well. When Hinata was born we hoped she would inherit my strength of will and her kindness. That she would be as innately talented as her mother and I was at a young age. That she would prove the elders wrong. Sadly Hinata was a shy child and showed much of her mother's kindness in her at an early age rather than innate gentle fist ability. The elders saw this as potentially weakening the leadership of the clan. They saw a threat to the superiority of the main branch family if Hinata was allowed to grow up and was taught to love the branch family and hate the caged bird seal as her mother. This led them to believe measures had to be taken."

Hiashi clenched his hands to fists as his memories of the recent past flashed through his mind. His eyes blazed in anger and his mouth was tight. His voice was raw with emotion as he continued his tale.

"They began to poison Hana, it was a long-term plan, to slowly kill my wife with low doses of a slow acting poison that would take the appearance of an illness. She would get sick with a fever and then get better but as the poison built up in her system she would become weaker and her body unable to fend off the affects further and further. No one ever noticed because the poison wasn't in large enough amounts to be traced and I suspect the elders paid off the doctors we went too as well. It was in the middle of this that Hanabi was conceived. Near the end of her pregnancy Hana's body collapsed and that was when the doctors at the hospital discovered the poison had built up to fatal levels in her body. It was killing her and the baby, her body couldn't take it. She made a decision to sacrifice her life for our daughter," Hiashi's eyes filled with tears, tears long held back as the memories of the final night with his wife returned to him.

"I investigated and was only able to find one person involved, the man who did the actual poisoning but I knew others had to be involved as well. He was executed for his crimes, much to the hypocritical condemnation by the elders, but both Hana and I knew that if they would kill her they would also kill our children if given the chance. Knowing that Hinata was so much like her in spirit and nature she made me promise her something. She had been treated badly during her youth as a Hyuga, her kindness seen as weakness, her shyness was demeaned by the elders and her parents, she was considered an outcast within the clan despite her natural ability and she knew Hinata would be treated the same, if not worse, despite her position as the heir to the clan leadership.

"Hana asked me, begged me to promise her I would do everything in my power to protect Hinata from that, to shield her from death by the clan's foolish traditions and to help her escape the clan. She wanted Hinata to be able to be somewhere that would free her, love her for her kindness, and accept her for who she was," Hiashi completed his story as he looked at the red head before him.

**Naruto**

As Hiashi told his story to Kushina Naruto was telling Hinata another story. They were in front of the clan hospital, the building was slightly smaller than the library, about half the size of the village's shinobi hospital and Naruto was explaining the reason for its founding.

"Back when the Namikaze first joined the village they asked for their own personal hospital. The clan had a deep interest in medicine for some reason at the time but no one ever knew why. My dad thought it was because the clan leader at the time, Morian Namikaze, had lost all but one of his children and his wife to disease early in life. So, in an attempt to avoid a similar fate in the future, he wanted his clan to always have access to the best medical care," Naruto told her as they walked past the building and stopped to stare at it.

"T-that w-was very sm-smart o-of him," Hinata said in response, wishing she could come up with something more interesting to say but Naruto obviously didn't mind as he continued on.

"My godmother had been spending a lot of time here, she said the Namikaze had some brilliant and very inventive ideas for the use of seals in medicine she had never considered before. She and big sis have been cleaning the place up. They wanted to bring in more people to help but mom refused to let anyone else into the district."

"W-what kind o-of th-things is L-lady Tsu-Tsunade st-studying," Hinata was genuinely curious as he eyebrows raised, she had never known the Namikaze were interested in medicine nor that they were so versatile in their abilities with seals and creative in thought and deed. There seemed to be a lot missing in the Hyuga archive on the clan and in the academy text books which mostly focused on their space-time jutsu and sealing abilities.

"She said they did things like store chakra into the walls for medics to access and they were able to simulate weightlessness in certain rooms for delicate surgeries on the patient. She's really wanted godfather to go through the seals but he's been busy this week, I'm not sure with what though, he just said it was 'therapy' of some kind. But I am sure she'll tell you about if you ask when we get back," Naruto said with a big smile as he scratched his blonde head as the two youngsters continued on their way throughout the district.

**Kushina**

Kushina stared at Hiashi for a moment before responding.

"Ok, that explains, nothing! You didn't answer my question Hiashi and it only begs the same question over again, why the hell treat her that way if Hana begged you to protect her from that life?" Kushina said, her eyes a smoldering flame, waiting for Hiashi's response.

Hiashi began to sweat slightly as he noticed Kushina's hands flexed involuntarily, as if to reach for a kunai he was sure she had on her person somewhere, and was her hair raising slightly? Great kami! She could still send chakra through her hair even after years of a medically induced coma? Hiashi decided to choose his next words carefully, "It was the only way to keep her alive. I couldn't protect her 24/7, not from the clan elders, not from the entire clan who saw her as weak and unable to perform the duties of a clan heir properly. She was too young to protect herself and I would have to sleep sooner or later. So I made a decision, if I joined the clan in their opinion I would be informed of any threats to her life and I could sway those decisions and I could focus their attention on Hanabi, who is more like me in personality and nature. By my actions I've been able to deter or secretly stop dozens of attempts on Hinata's life from poisoning to smothering her as a small child in her room. Hizashi was the only one I could trust and when I lost him it made things even more difficult. Right now I only have two branch members I know will protect Hinata faithfully but even they could be overcome with ease if the elders wished it."

Hiashi brought his hands to his temple as he began to massage his head, the frustration bleeding into his voice, "Do you think I WANTED to treat my daughter like a leper? Kushina you know me better than that, I love her, I love her more than anything in the world other than her sister. She is the last piece of Hana I have and I hate myself every day for what I have to do but it was the only way to protect her. The only way I could work within the clan to keep her safe. With me on their side the elders never tried to attack her and lesser clan members were easy to foil secretly. She may be hurt but she is alive Kushina and if I had gone against them, tried to protect her openly they would have killed her the way they did Hana and I never would have known!" Hiashi struggled to explain his frustration, his anger. He had felt so useless and helpless against the entire clan, not knowing who to trust.

"I had no one to turn too, no one I could send her too to keep her safe, you and Minato were gone, Lord Third was struggling to rebuild after the foxes attack against a council that had grabbed power away from him and the only options I had were to openly protect her, put her in the branch family, or do as I have. I had few options on the table and it was the choice with the best chance for success and it worked. She is alive today because of it, but that is why I am here, I need your help." Hiashi told her, the desperation leaking from his words.

**Naruto**

Naruto and Hinata were beginning to make the final loop around the district when Naruto slowed down and moved toward where portions of buildings seemed newer than others. In fact, many of the buildings here looked like they had seen at least some care in the recent past. Finally he came to rest before one house in particular and stared at a single rusted hammer that had probably rested by the house for a decade.

"My dad was trying to rebuild the district before he died," Naruto told her quietly as his eyes remained on the rusted tools at a nearby single story home, "He wanted to bring the space-time barrier down. He wanted to reunite the Namikaze clan's home with the outside world. But he didn't want to do it with everything so lifeless and decayed. My mom showed me pictures of him working around here, this was the last building he was working on before he died."

Hinata remained quiet as she listened, an innate sense telling her this was something that was important.

"My dad wanted to rebuilding our clan, he wanted me to live a happy life. He wanted me to have brothers and sisters, and together we would rebuild the district together," Naruto told her in a quiet voice as he continued to stare at the rusted tool leaning against the house.

Naruto was quiet for several minutes before turning and smiling a huge smile at his friend, "And since it was his dream that this district would be rebuilt I am going to take up that dream in his stead and make it happen. When I'm old enough I'll continue rebuilding the district, starting right here, at this house where my dad left off."

Hinata gave Naruto a shy smile, "I-I'd like to, um, h-help, i-if I c-can," she told him quietly.

Naruto's smile widened further and he nodded, "Thanks Hinata, I know with friends like you I'll have the district restored in no time!" he told her before they began to make their way back to the mansion, Hinata following him as he moved slowly away from the house and the hammer. As they walked away Hinata felt a strange feeling pass over her, as if someone was watching, and as if someone was smiling fondly at them.

**Kushina**

Kushina surveyed the man before and seeing true emotion, true love for his child in his eyes and she nodded, unable to turn away a father in need, "What can I do? She is such a sweet girl and looks so much like Hana did at that age, I'll do what I can to help Hiashi, although I do have a few conditions, but go on."

"Thank you Kushina, I want her to get away from the clan, to be elsewhere. It would do her the greatest good in the world to be somewhere out of their reach and away from those egotistical blow-hards who haven't been outside the clan compound in decades. Is there a way she can visit the Namikaze district for the weekends or after the academy when she is not at the required gentle fist training sessions?"

Kushina chuckled and grinned at his description of the Hyuga clan's elders, "I was actually going to ask if you could spare her for training sessions with Naruto. He needs someone to teach him customs, proper manners, courtesies, etc etc. Minato was always much better at that than I am but it would be a good way to get her out of the clan compound and of course she is welcome here on the weekends. I know Naruto wants to spend time with his new friends and it would be wonderful to have her here," Kushina said with a smile.

"Thank you, I'll make arrangements the moment we return to the compound. Perhaps with time she will be able to obtain the respect necessary for me to drop the charade and be the father I've longed to be for so long, for both her and Hanabi," Hiashi told her.

"Actually Hiashi, that is one of my conditions. I'll help you but you are not allowed to treat her like some cold, stick-up-your-ass bastard anymore. She needs a father that loves her and supports her. You said you had no one before, well, you have it now. Hinata is safe so long as she is with us and if it becomes a problem you can send both her and Hanabi here but I will NOT allow you to treat Hana's children like this anymore. Am I clear?"

Hiashi looked caught between indecision. He needed Kushina's help, and she was correct, the clan would never hurt Hinata now. Particularly since they thought she was going to seduce and obtain access to the Uzumaki and Namikaze for them.

Nodding slowly Hiashi responded, "Very well Kushina. I can do that."

Hiashi took a deep breath and closed his eyes before speaking again, "There is one other thing Kushina, the clan is pushing for Hinata to pursue Naruto. They are afraid of losing their place in the village with the return of a combined Uzumaki and Namikaze clan. I convinced them to let Hinata pursue the boy to obtain his affections. The girl's feelings for the boy have been growing for years and I am glad that the clan seems to be supporting the match. I knew she would have a hard time but ultimately it would make her happy to be near him and perhaps gain her some form of protection against her enemies within the clan itself. Although the real intention of the elders is simply to gain control of the Namikaze and Uzumaki clan holdings," Hiashi told her.

The temperature in the room instantly dropped. Kushina's eyes practically glowed red and her hair began to rise as if on its own accord. When she spoke it was as if death itself had become incarnate within the room. She never raised her voice, she merely sat a bit straighter and a grim look took place upon her features.

"That will never happen, I would never allow such a thing to happen to either my or Minato's clan holdings Hiashi. You can tell yourcouncil if they even attempt such a thing I will break them. Also if they even attempt to place the caged bird seal on Hinata you should remind them who created that seal," Kushina told him before rapidly changing moods and giggling slightly," And what were you feeding those elders to think that poor girl could ever seduce anyone? She's about a seductive as a cat is to an Inuzuka," Kushina told him.

Hiashi's curiosity was piqued with her comment about the seal but thought it best to let it go for the moment since he knew the next part of this conversation was going to be very… interesting.

"I know, I know, I was wondering the same thing when they bought that, I've begun to wonder if some of them are becoming senile with age. Privately I am hoping that Tsunade might be able to give them an examination and force their retirement as elders. That would allow me to appoint younger elders who would be more supportive of my feelings for change in the clan. But as to their intention, that is why I brought this," Hiashi told her as he handed her a scroll.

Kushina looked curiously as she opened the scroll and her eyes widened and rage burned through her, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS! WHAT WERE YOU AND MINATO THINKING? WHAT WAS WRONG WITH YOU TWO!" she yelled at him.

Hiashi coughed in embarrassment as his cheeks colored slightly, "Um, you remember that night Hana, you, Minato, and I were all celebrating you and Hana's pregnancies? Well, Minato and I stayed after you and Hana left and someone mentioned it would be such a wonderful idea if our children fell for each other and we became family. Minato and I, being rather drunk, took to the idea and hammered that betrothal agreement out there at the bar."

Hiashi at least had the good sense to look embarrassed by even bringing up the document as Kushina continued to read the scroll.

"Hiashi, other than the signatures and the first few lines agreeing to the potential marriage of our children every single other line is either illegible or makes no sense. This one for instance, requiring Gamabunta to announce the happy couples wedding to the entire village while drinking from the Hokage tower filled with sake or this one requiring a dozen Hyuga girls to do a traditional dance naked while holding barrels of sake on their heads. Hell, what is this about having the wedding on Mount Myoboku? My god you two must have been insanely drunk! I knew Hana and I should never have left you alone together," Kushina said with a sigh as her eyes continued to read the legible parts of the document.

"Yes but it is a legal document, either side can back out and I'm not trying to enforce it but the elders do not know of its existence. If they did they would be screaming to tear it up because there is nothing in there to benefit the Hyuga. Hinata would become the wife and member of the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans, she could be free!" Hiashi told Kushina, his eyes and voice filled with determination.

Kushina was silent a moment, the wheels spinning in her mind, "Yes, I believe you would be correct about that Hiashi. But ONLY if the two choose each other, I will never force Naru into an arranged marriage. I have always and will always despise that tradition. He will have the choice of who he marries, and if he and Hinata choose each other than so be it but otherwise this document remains here and we will never speak of it again, agreed?"

Hiashi nodded, having obtained everything he needed for the moment and glad that Kushina was willing to aid him in his attempt to fulfill the promise he made to his wife. He may not have obtained an arranged marriage but he had gained her some freedom away from their clan.

As the conversation came to a close and the privacy seals were deactivated the two could clearly hear their children looking for food in the kitchen and decided it was well past time for lunch.

**Hokage Tower**

Sasuke Uchiha was seated before the old Kage who was holding a folder in his hands. Sarutobi placed the folder down and eyed the last Uchiha before speaking.

"Sasuke, I will make this brief. What are your intentions with your clan and your brother?" The old kage asked in a neutral voice.

Sasuke stiffened, immediately on alert with anger rising at the mention of his brother, the murderer of his entire clan, "I intend to kill him, to avenge my clan, and then to restore my clan to its rightful place and glory! We are the elite and we will be respected as such again!"

The old Hokage sighed at the response, _The civilians have certainly twisted your mind but perhaps there is time to save you_, he thought to himself.

"Sasuke, your father once told me that the clan meant more to him than anything in this village with one exception. That being his sons. I believe he would have never wanted to see you both at each other's throats despite what has happened," he told the boy softly.

Sasuke glared at the old man, "You just don't understand, no one could understand," he muttered in response.

But the Hokage saw something there. It was a flicker at the mention of his father, a momentary lapse in the brooding silence that Sasuke kept around him at all times. Even if but for a moment, the Hokage saw the pain and suffering in the child's eyes, the sense of loss, and the incredible burden he felt placed on his shoulders. It was at that moment the Hokage made a decision that would forever change the fate of the Uchiha clan.

Sarutobi looked at the boy, "Sasuke, what I am about to tell you is an S-Class secret and is not to leave this room, understood?"

"Is it about Itachi!" Sasuke asked eager to learn any secret that might pertain to his older brother.

"No, but it is about the Uchiha clan. Now, understand, this is an S-Class secret for now. Should you mention it outside this room you will be executed, Uchiha or not, do you understand?"

Sasuke nodded, his eyes bright and burning, eager to learn anything about his clan, "Yes sir, I understand."

The old Kage accepted that Sasuke knew the consequences of this knowledge and continued, "Recently we discovered a traitor to the leaf in our midst and I ordered his base, including his research, recruiting, and training centers raided. We obtained over two hundred children in the raid. I have before me the blood tests of those children. Sasuke, five of them are your clan members, 3 two years and 2 three year olds, they must have been taken the night of the massacre. You are not the last Uchiha anymore."

Sasuke sat there stunned, all thoughts of Itachi gone, his world had become blank and turned upside down. He wasn't alone? There were other survivors? The village had brought them back to him? He wasn't alone?

"I-I'm not alone anymore?" Sasuke asked in a whisper.

"No, you are not, but then you never were Sasuke," Sarutobi told him gently.

Memories came to the forefront of the young Uchiha's mind. He remembered talking to his uncles and aunts and cousins. Their smiling faces, the happiness of children playing and screaming in laughter. He remembered his father smiling at him and his brother as they walked down the street and his mother having friends over for tea. Tears began to well up in the child's eyes as he felt a burden inside him lift, as if somehow those children, just by being alive, made it easier for him to live each day.

"I want to see them!" Sasuke demanded as tears began to fall down his cheeks.

"Not yet, there is something we must discuss first," the Third Hokage told him, knowing this would be a difficult conversation for the boy. "You intend to kill Itachi, you believe it must be you, the psychiatric evaluations have reported that much but you have other responsibilities if you accept these children into your care. You were the son of their clan leader, and now you are their leader. They will require your devotion as much as this village will. You will have to choose Sasuke, will you devote your time to these children, to your clan, or to killing your brother? Because I will not allow these children to grow up in the home of someone who will ignore them merely to satisfy their own vengeance. I am not saying you will be unable to face Itachi later should fate decree it but until these children are older they will need guidance and care and only someone who is fully devoted to that care will receive them." The old kage finished and he saw the fires of anger enter the eyes of the boy before him.

"They are members of the Uchiha clan, they deserve to be with their family, ME!" Sasuke told him the old Kage bluntly, "They deserve vengeance as much as I do, Itachi MUST be held for his crimes! This has nothing to do with the village, they are members of my family, my clan, it is my right that they be with me. To grow up learning about the Uchiha from one of their own, to be together!"

"You are ten years old Sasuke, not even a genin or adult, you have no way to enforce such a right, even if it was recognized, until such a time as you are an adult and by your own clans laws you must be a jonin to take on the rank and responsibilities as clan leader. And think Sasuke, until they grow up they need you to be there for them. How can you teach them about their clan if you are training constantly to murder your brother. What kind of life is that for them? To grow up only on vengeance, would you parents have wanted that Sasuke? What is more important Sasuke, the man who you will see again in the future or the children who need you now?"

Sasuke sat there, his mind working in overdrive, the thoughts of his father and mother flashing through his mind. Remembering his clan, the responsibility his father bore as their leader, the smiles of respect his clan members had shown his father and mother and the happiness of family being brought up by family and the chance of having that again weighed against the anger and hate for his brother.

_Grow strong with hate little brother,_ Itachi had told him. And he had hated Itachi every day since that night but now another memory was stirred, one he had not thought of in many years.

_Remember Sasuke, we are a clan, and the clan is family and family always remains together. We guard one another's back in combat and in life. The clan must come first my son,_ his father's words came to him and he nodded, his decision made.

"I will wait for Itachi, my clan needs me now." Sasuke told the old Kage who nodded and smiled as he knew that Sasuke Uchiha would be in for a very rough few years.

"Very well Sasuke, the village will help provide care for the children while they are with you. We can't expect you to take care of five toddlers while you're still in the academy but once you graduate I won't be able to help you any longer because will be a recognized legal adult. You clan funds should be more than enough to cover those expenses when you reach that point though," Sarutobi told him.

Sasuke nodded to him, his heart burning at the choice he had made, feeling it was the right one deep down within, "Thank you sir, M-May I see them now?"

The old kage nodded to him, "Yes, they are being kept at the ANBU headquarters for protection. I will assign a 24/7 guard to your home to ensure their safety as well until they are old enough to protect themselves. I'm sorry I had to be so blunt with your Sasuke but I hope you understand my reasons."

"I-I think so, I just want to see them, see my family," Sasuke told him as they both rose and left the office to what the old Hokage hoped would be the founding of a new and brighter Uchiha clan.

**Miles away in an underground cavern**

The pale visage of the snake sannin sat on his carved thrown listening to the report of his silver haired subordinate who was kneeled before him.

"So, it appeared the Namikaze had a son after all," Orochimaru mused as an evil grin spread across his face.

"Yes Lord Orochimaru, it was confirmed by the Third Hokage. Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze is Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki's son," the silver haired man responded, raising his head to see his master's response.

"Mmmmmm, this could be rather useful Kabuto. And my two old teammates are now home to stay as well are they? This changes things, we will need to rethink our strategies for engaging the leaf village. Tell my subordinates to watch the Namikaze boy closely. His blood could prove very useful indeed," the snake sannin mused before dismissing his subordinate to gather more information on the child.

"Yes… very useful indeed," Orochimaru murmured to himself.


	12. Revelations Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did I'd fix the giant plot holes!**

Authors Note: Yep, I am still alive! Sorry to my readers about how long it has been since I last updated but school and life have been rather scarily efficient at keep me away from my stories. However I have something special for you, a sneak peak at a story I am currently outlining to come after Uzumaki Sunrise is complete! It is called Bloodline Flash! Check it out and let me know what you think.

**STOP: Before you read this if you read chapter 10 originally I have placed a rewritten chapter 10 up with a new punishment for Jiraiya! Check it out before reading chapter 11! Enjoy! **

KnighteWolfe : My only question is 'will Naruto invent his 'Sexy and Harem Jutsus?' I think it would be quite interesting to see Kushina's reaction to this.

Edaar: Naruto is still Naruto despite his changes and who says he didn't develop this jutsu before Kushina even came back onto the scene, he just hasn't had a reason to show it yet!

Enigma Zombie: I like this story, but the whole salt kunia thing is just plain, for lack of a better word, retarded. At least Tsunadia's punishment is somewhat meaningfull do to the fact that she left so fast being because of her phobia of blood. But Jirias punishment is random, were you just out of ideas or something? If thats the best you got you should have held a poll or review contest to see what some better ideas were. Well keep updating and I will keep reading

Edaar: I am going to admit I simply ran out of good ideas for a punishment for Jiraiya, which was part of the reason chapter 10 took so long. I wracked my brain but it wasn't until almost a month later I thought of a much better punishment for him. Be sure to reread chapter 10 to see his new punishment, I think everyone will agree it is much more fitting.

**Chapter 11: Revelations Part 2**

**Sasuke**

It was a surreal experience for the young Uchiha. _Family_. It was a word he had spent the last three years obsessing over. Every thought that filled his head was on the subject of his family and his loss and his anger at the person who had caused it. His brother had slaughtered his entire family.

His entire clan.

His mother.

His father.

Everyone he had held dear was gone all because of his brother.

And yet, here he was walking alongside the aged Hokage toward a holding room that contained five others of his clan. The relief of it almost brought tears to the young Uchiha's eyes. He was no longer alone and that sense of relief made him very tired. It felt like he was finally allowed to set aside a great burden from his heart. His shoulders felt tension leave that he had not realized was there in the first place.

Sasuke's very existence felt like it was strengthened beyond the need to kill his brother. He had family again and he knew they needed him. He knew they would need their clanleader and he would be there for them.

_We are clan Sasuke_, his father had told him_, we are family and we are clan. We are ever each others friends and brothers and sisters. When you have a fellow Uchiha at your back you are always safe._

Sasuke had taken his father's words to heart and he would do everything in his power to pass on those words to his cousins. He would protect them now and no one would ever hurt them or take them away from him.

As the Hokage watched the boy he saw the stress and relief flood his body. His muscles relaxed and his posture loosened. He saw years of stress begin to slowly unwind from his neck and back. It was unreal to the old man, _the boy must have been carrying tension in his entire body ever since he woke up after that night!_

While the old kage mused he allowed Sasuke the quiet of his thoughts.

_What will they be like? He said they were 2 and 3 years old, they are alone like me. No, I must not think that way, they are not alone because they have me and I have them now,_ Sasuke told himself. He would not let his family be alone, they would always have him and when they were old enough and strong enough they would face Itachi together, as a family and clan to bring the murderer to justice.

The duo made their way through the maze of the Hokage Tower until they reached an entrance guarded by four ANBU. The ANBU made no move to stop them as the Hokage and his charge moved through a tunnel with several adjacent doors.

Most people assumed the main ANBU headquarters was the section they saw in the Hokage Tower or part of the Torture and Interrogation division. That truth was that was only the check-in area for ANBU squads returning from missions or patrols at the tower and ANBU only went to T&I to escort prisoners.

The real ANBU headquarters was a smaller, nondescript building about twenty minutes from the Hokage Tower. The building was hidden in plain sight and shielded from duojutsu as well as sensory abilities by very old and powerful seals. The building was also connected throughout the entire village through a series of tunnels, not unlike the former ROOT base that had so recently been destroyed. While the outside of the building was a small, brown, two level shop, the actual headquarters spanned nearly six complete levels underground and contained full compliments of sleeping quarters, training rooms, and weapons storage lockers.

The Hokage brought Sasuke to the second level where prisoners and detainee's were held. As they reached the holding cell for detainee's the Hokage stopped and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke looked up into the aged leaders face, his impatience were clearly written into his features. But he didn't try to pull away and he quietly waiting for whatever the Hokage had to say.

"Sasuke, I think you deserve to know these children have no clue who they are. The oldest do not speak often and it is clear they have been kept in a state of deprivation of both human contact and kindness. Please go slow with them, they need love, understanding and family right now more than anything," the older man told the young boy.

Sasuke took a deep breath and nodded as they opened the door.

_Family, I promise they will have that and everything else, just as father would have wanted_.

**Hiashi**

Hiashi couldn't help but smile at his daughter as she followed the blonde haired boy into the living room of the mansion. She looked so shy and timid but carried herself with the same grace her mother had. Hiashi knew the elders of his clan would want a full report of his meeting with Kushina and the young Uzumaki-Namikaze heir and his assessment of Hinata's progress, but, for the moment, he allowed himself to simply be Hiashi and not Lord Hyuga.

Kushina jabbed him in the ribs and motioned him forward toward his daughter. Hiashi rolled his eyes at his old friend antics but decided it was best not to anger the Crimson Death twice in one day.

Hiashi strode into the room and placed a hand on Hinata shoulder. She turned to him and bowed her head, it was obvious she expected to be reprimanded for whatever he chose. Hiashi's heart clenched and a small tear developed in his eye, _Does she think all I can do it condemn her? _He thought to himself as he began to wonder if he had not fully realized just how deep an injury he had caused to his daughter.

"Hinata, I trust you had a nice time viewing the Namikaze district?" Hiashi asked in a soft voice.

Hinata's head remained down as she responded, "Y-yes s-sir. N-Nar-uto showed m-me mu-much of th-the district. Y-you ha-have a l-lovely h-home L-lady Ku-Kushina."

Kushina smiled gently at Hinata, thinking how she looked so much like her best friend from all those years ago, "Thank you Hinata, I am glad you like it since I believe you will be spending a lot of time here."

Hianta's head snapped up so quickly Kushina was amazed it hadn't simply popped off. Her eyes were wide with shock at the statement, she had been certain that such a visit would be a rare one and had never even considered being invited back any time soon.

Kushina smiled softly at the poor girl as anger rose in the back of her mind at Hiashi for allowing her best friend's daughter to grow up in such a manner, "I was hoping you would help teach little Naru some proper manners and customs and courtesy's that a clan heir needs," Kushina asked her as she looked pointedly at her son as he wiped his mouth from the glass of water he had just drank out of with the back of his sleeve caught between being indignant at having been told he lacked manners and being happy that his new friend would be allowed to be over more often.

Hiashi decided to intervene at this point, "I believe it would do you well to get out of the clan compound Hinata. You have been stagnant there, perhaps here you'll grow more outside the clans influence. I also believe some manners would not be unwarranted with the young Namikaze," Hiashi told him with a slight glare of warning.

Kushina gained a devilish glint to her eye as she clapped her hands together, "In fact I have a wonderful idea. How about you stay over tonight Hinata? I am sure Naruto would enjoy having a friend over for the night, we have plenty of room and you would get to meet everyone, don't you think it's a great idea Hiashi?"

Naruto needed no prompting to latch onto the idea of his friend staying the night. Within the time it took Hiashi to process what Kushina had said the small blonde was already latched onto Hinata in a hug and smiling happily begging for permission for Hinata to stay over.

_My god, did the Hirashin somehow alter the kids DNA? I knew Namikaze were fast but this kid is just ridiculous!_ Hiashi thought to himself as for the second time Naruto surprised the Hyuuga with his speed.

"Yeah Mom! That would be awesome, would you please stay Hinata? Please Please!" Naruto said as he hugged his friend who was blushing furiously at the close contact and unable to respond with anything but a nod and a look to her father for permission.

Hiashi sighed mentally, Kushina was not going to make things easy at all, "Very well, I think that can be arranged. I will send a branch member to meet you at the academy this evening Kushina."

"You can have any available room you'd like Hinata, although I believe the one next to Naruto's has an adjacent door…" Kushina said with a grin as Hinata's eyes glazed over and she fainted from the thoughts of her sleeping in a room being connected to her crushes.

"HINATA! OH GOD, IS SHE OK? CALL-AUNT-TSUNADE!" Naruto yelled as he shook his friend before Hiashi quickly slipped her from his grasp.

"She's fine, she'll awaken shortly, please don't shake my daughter again," Hiashi told the boy with another glare to his red headed mother.

Naruto nodded, completely oblivious to the current situation and stared worriedly at his friend.

"Naruto, why don't you go get Hinata a glass of water?" Kushina giggled slight as she barely contained her laughter at the sight.

Naruto nodded and disappeared from the room in a blur. As soon as Naruto exited the room two things happened. First, Kushina began to laugh her head off second and Hiashi, after having laid Hinata on one of the couches, he rounded on Kushina, "A room adjacent to your sons? Come off it Kushina, that was just low and completely inappropriate! "

"True, but damn it was funny. She is going to be so much fun to tease! " Kushina said as she howled with laughter at the distraught father.

Hiashi muttered something about evil red heads as he set some smelling salts to work awakening his daughter. The fainting spells were so common now that most Hyuga who were around Hinata carried several packs of smelling salts, just in case.

As Naruto returned with a glass of water Hinata was just awakening. She blinked several times before sitting up and being handed the glass of water by Naruto.

"Th-thank y-you N-Naruto. I-I appreciate th-the w-water," she told him with a light blush.

"No problem Hinata! I'm glad you're feeling better," Naruto told her with a big smile that almost caused Hinata to pass out again.

Hiashi sighed again and passed Kushina some smelling salts before he sat down next to his daughter as Naruto was pulled to the opposite couch by his mother as the two families began to chat while they waited for Shizune, Tsunade, and Jiraiya to return.

**ANBU Headquaters**

Sasuke stood there as any words he had been thinking were caught in his throat. He was able to process mentally that his family was alive. He was even able to rationalize that he was no longer the last Uchiha. But to see five children sitting in front of him, each with eyes ranging from deep, dark brown to Onyx black and whose hair was the same color as his. Their bone structure, their chins, hell even the slant of the eyes all screamed Uchiha!

Sasuke simply stared at them, drinking in the image before him. His heart struggled to overcome the tide of emotion as he took his first step into the room, trying to breath through the emotional overload.

_Family._

_Cousins._

_Clan._

Those thoughts circled through his mind as he entered the room. He took a second step, then a third. The five children before him simply stared at him. They didn't seem to understand what was happening, they seemed unsure of their surroundings, there was even a hint of fear in their eyes but Sasuke didn't care. For the first time since that night he had lost everything he felt tears begin to well up in his eyes.

Sasuke's pride nor the mental barriers he had placed around his heart could maintain against the tsunami of emotions running through him and he fell to his knees before the five Uchiha children and wrapped his arms as far as they would go around them all and cried.

Unsure what to do the children simply sat there as the unknown boy cried on them. Finally after several minutes Sasuke's tears slowed and he sat back.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. Your cousin and future clanleader. What are your names?" he asked them in a quiet voice.

Their eyes glimmered and the five railed off their names as if it was a roll call from what was obviously oldest to youngest.

"Eji," Said the tallest boy who was on the far right. His eyes were a dark brown, bordering on black and his hair was cropped very short.

"Yura," the girl next to him responded in a quiet voice. Her eyes were the same color as Sasuke's but her hair was a dark brown rather than straight black.

"Turrinn," the next boy said who looked similar to Eji with dark brown eyes and black hair. It was obvious the two were likely brothers or very closely related cousins.

"Amesha," the next girl said, she was obviously one of the two-year olds and from the sound of her voice was unused to speaking. She had trouble pronouncing her name completely and came it more like Emishe than Amesha. Sasuke could tell she had had trouble with whatever the traitor had done to her and knew he would need to spend time helping her.

"Mika," the final boy said. His black hair had a slight brown hint to it and his black eyes contained flacks of green but it could easily change any time.

They each looked at Sasuke, as if waiting for instructions or orders. Sasuke nodded to them and smiled the first true smile he had felt in almost three years, "We are the last of the Uchiha clan. We are family. You will never be alone again because we have each other. My father told me that the clan comes first, that we watch each other's backs in combat and in life. We are the future of our clan but for now let us just be a family."

With uncertain nods the children accepted this.

The old Kage stood at the door and watched the display with a smile. He could feel the healing in the room, the breaking down of old anger and sorrow. For the first time in since the Uchiha massacre the third Hokage felt that Sasuke Uchiha was going to be alright.

**Kushina**

The day had passed by quickly for the Namikaze family. Jiraiya had appeared several times to chat but just as quickly disappeared again saying he was on a 'breakthrough' which Kushina hoped meant he had finally found his muse to write the sequel.

Around five Hiashi had left to return to their clan compound and send a branch bodyguard with some clothing for Hinata. The children were currently asleep in non-adjoining bedrooms and Kushina was awake enjoying some well deserved Sake with her friends. She had just finished explaining Hiashi's situation to the understanding of those present when Tsunade sighed.

"That's going to make things even harder with what Shizune and I have to tell you Kushina," the blonde sannin told her redheaded cousin.

With a raised eyebrow Kushina nodded for Tsunade to continue.

"As you know, we ran every test we could on Naruto to check if anything might be wrong after the years of abuse, neglect, and malnutrition…"

"Is something wrong with Naru?" Kushina asked suddenly worried by Tsunade's demeanor.

"No, that's the thing Kushina, Naruto is completely fine. He's actually better than fine, I can't find a single thing wrong! There isn't a sign of a scar, broken bone, or even a bruise! There aren't even signs that he ever skinned his knee from falling down," Tsunade explained.

"So? That's just the nine-tails isn't it? Every host gets some sort of power, that's just Naruto's," Kushina asked still slightly worried.

Everyone had always assumed that Naruto's continued good health and ability to recover from injuries was a gift from his being the host of the nine-tailed fox. Everyone host received some form of power and it was just assumed this was Naruto's. Apparently Tsunade had determined this not to be entirely true.

"No, the fox might heal him if he was in a life and death situation I suppose but that wouldn't explain the other things we found. Advanced anti-bodies to fight off infection and disease, hardened skin and muscle in locations we assume he was previously injured. His body did just heal itself it adapted to the injury to prevent it from happening in the future," Tsunade told her.

"So what's the problem Tsunade? It sounds like a damn gift to me," Jiraiya asked her with a raised eyebrow.

It was then that Tsunade shook her head and let the real bomb out, "We ran a bloodline check and Naruto came back positive."

Everyone was silent for a moment. No one knew entirely what to say to that since neither Minato nor Kushina had ever held a bloodline and neither of their clans had ever had a bloodline.

"How is that possible?" Kushina asked.

"I think it's a mixture of circumstance Kushina. The best guess we have right now is that Naruto had some latent genetic potential that was activated when the fox was placed inside him. The Uzumaki were well known for extremely long life spans and dense chakra capable of suppressing tailed beasts, that's why my grandmother was the first host for the fox itself and there were rumors that the Namikaze were beginning to show signs of an advanced healing before they died out. It is very possible that when the bloodlines merged in Naruto the fox acted as a catalyst to give birth to an entirely new bloodline," Tsunade explained in her 'I'm the best medic ninja in the world' voice and everyone knew that she would have double and triple checked her findings before ever putting a theory forth and both Kushina and Jiraiya had to admit, it made sense.

However Tsunade wasn't done yet as she continued, "The other part of this is this isn't simply healing, it is practically regeneration! If I had to guess Naruto could lose a limb and regrow it and he could recover completely from any injury that doesn't outright kill him," Tsunade told them as Shizune nodded.

"Lady Tsunade's right and if the Hyuuga ever found out about Naruto's bloodline potential they wouldn't stop until they had it," Shizune added.

"They are paranoid about their eyes, without them their entire fighting style becomes useless. Hell, the idea they could injure them and then have them regrown stronger than before would have their elders jumping down our throats to engage Naruto to one or ten of their members," Jiraiya said softly.

Kushina softly growled and glared at the thought of the Hyuga elders attempting to force her son into a marriage, silently vowing to ensure he son had as much choice as possible in his potential mate.

Tsunade sighed, "There is more."

Kushina looked at her as if she had grown a second head, "More? You just told me my son has a previously undiscovered bloodline and the Hyuuga clan is practically going to rape him to get it. What else could there be?"

"Mokuton," Shizune responded quietly.

"Wood release? What about it? No one has seen it since the first hokage died. It was most likely a genetic mutation distinct to him," Jiraiya asked with a confused expression.

"That is not entirely correct Lord Jiraiya," Shizune responded, "Mokuton is a recessive genetic trait from the Senju clan. Lady Tsunade, for example, had the genetic markers and potential for Mokuton but it never active in her. Similarly any children she might have would contain those same genetic markers and potential for developing Mokuton," the young apprentice explained.

"So what does this have to do with Naruto? You are not going to tell me he suddenly has developed the ability to use Mokuton are you?" Kushina asked with a raised eyebrow wondering how much more of a political mess this could become.

Tsunade shook her head in response, "No, Naruto cannot use Mokuton, but like me has the genetic markers for Mokuton. No, he can't use it, nor is it likely to ever become active but they are still there. The same markers can be found in my blood and yours Kushina. It is the potential for him to develop the bloodline and he will likely pass that potential on to any children he has. Remember, we are related Kushina, both the Uzumaki and Senju held the capacity to create another Mokuton user because of our kinship. Naruto isn't that user but he could give birth to one," Tsunade explained.

Everyone simply sat at the table in silence. Naruto represented the potential for one of the most powerful clans ever to exist. The entire village would be clamoring for him to have children by the dozens and practically cram the clan restoration act down his throat in order to breed a new mokuton user.

"What do we do?" Kushina asked her friends.

"We tell the Hokage and then keep it quiet until Naruto us older. Naruto is already a target because of his father. We need to wait until he is older and stronger before revealing the full potential," Jiraiya said, "We also should start giving him extra lessons in politics and start looking into the clan restoration act for any all loop holes in the act. He will also need to start getting trained in information gathering and we will likely need to intensify his training. I guess the good news is that with this new information Kakashi and I can push him into the ground even further and he'll just heal from it every night."

Jiraiya chuckled as he felt the rising killer intent from the mother beside him, "Uhhhh, was just joking Kushina, really!"

Kushina growled and nodded, "I think the old pervert is right. We tell the Hokage and keep it quiet for now. Keep those records here in the mansion Tsunade. Since you're his private doctor we should easily be able to avoid Naruto from being seen by the hospital."

They nodded together and with the decision made the group dispersed for the evening to try and sleep with heavy thoughts on their minds.

**Hiashi**

As the Namikaze family were settling in to sleep Hiashi was still wide awake and having to deal with his own clan politics. How he wished he could simply get rid of them all but he knew that would cause nothing but problems.

"We entered the Namikaze district and the young Namikaze took my daughter on a tour of the district. As you can guess this is a very rare honor given to only a select few not of the Namikaze clan or married into the clan. Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze and I spoke at length about Hinata and her son. For the most part we discussed old times, as old friends I felt it best to take things slow. I did mention the possibility of the two of them marrying one day and she was not unreceptive to the idea of a potential marriage between the two but was clear on several points…" Hiashi said as he was interrupted in the middle of his report by an elder.

"We are the Hyuuga clan, they will take whatever terms we give them and be happy about it. I suggest we have an arrangement drawn up immediately and…" one of the main branch elders began immediately only to be silenced by Hiashi.

"Kushina will have no part in a betrothal contract. She said she will allow the marriage only if the children choose one another," Hiashi told them.

Several branch elders nodded and smiled at this. They had always hated how their family was forced to marry others to maintain their bloodline. It was simply another way they were controlled.

The remaining elders were caught in a mixture of shock and anger with several glaring coldly at Hiashi in response to this new knowledge, "She should feel honored we are even considering allowing the marriage…" spoke one of the bolder elders.

"Do not be foolish. Both the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans are older than even the Hyuga. The Uzumaki claim kinship to the Senju themselves. Their combined bloodline more than places them on equal if not greater status than the Hyuga. Demanding anything of them will end badly for us!" Hiashi practically yelled at the assembled elders.

There was complete silence at that statement.

There was much truth to the words Hiashi had spoken and they were all well aware of it. Singularly either clan was more than a match for their own in reputation, strength, and prestige. Combined they were easily able to dictate any terms of a marriage contract and have their choice of heiresses from any land. Hell, as the last heir to both clans the boy could easily have several wives under the clan restoration act.

"I suggest you also remember who we are dealing with. The Uzumaki created the base version of the caged bird seal and were the greatest sealing clan known through the world. The Namikaze were a close second. We must be careful and let events fold as they continue or we may find ourselves on the receiving end of their wraith," Hiashi told them in a neutral voice.

"Do you mean to tell us that the Namikaze have a method of removing the caged bird seal?" one of the main branch elders asked.

"According to Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze, yes, they do. She also told me they were the creators of the original caged bird seal on the request by the first Hokage so long ago. I highly recommend we do not antagonize the woman further. Let Hinata do as she is and allow the two to grow together. The boy has been friendless for many years and Hinata is currently holding the position as 'best friend' in his life. This often leads to marriage between a young boy and girl. Allow the two space and treat Hinata with respect even if you cannot manage kindness to appear the Namikaze. I do not think that is much to ask. You are dismissed."

With must to think of the Hyuga clan elders were left to their thoughts as Hiashi rose, leaving the room.

But even as the main branch filed out the elders of the branch family exchanged glances with one another, glances filled with something none had felt in many years, hope. Hinata Hyuga, their kind, sweet heiress that had always treated them as family, could one day marry the man who could free them from their imprisonment and it was that hope they would cling too and with that knowledge support the match with everything in their power.

Authors Note: Ok, so we know about Naruto's bloodline! I want to explain a few things: 1) Naruto will NOT obtain Mokuton in this story. However I believe that because of the blood relationship between the Senju and the Uzumaki Naruto has the potential to develop the bloodline or pass it on to his children. 2) I don't think that Naruto's healing ability is related to the fox. There isn't enough evidence other than a few vague observations by characters in the manga to support this. Why would the fox even bother healing the boy if it wasn't a life threatening danger? He is a demon that would probably take perverse pleasure in watching him suffer more than anything from those injuries in hopes of being freed at the child's death. I think it makes more sense that his healing factor is connected to his mother and father than the fox so that's what I am going with for this story. For a more in-depth argument check out Hektols profile.


	13. Revelations and Change

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any characters in this fanction. It is done for the enjoyment of myself and other fanfiction readers!

**Chapter 12: Revelations and Change**

Author's Note: So, I know, it has been a long time since I updated anything. I have been trying to get myself back into writing for months and the letters sent to me over requesting I continue my fanfiction have gone a long way to restoring my resolve. I am going to try and get an update out every month for Uzumaki Sunrise and I also put up a few updates for Bloodline Flash. I know this chapter is shorter than normal but bear with me while I work to get back into the swing of things. I also apologize in advance if this chapter isn't up to my normal quality but there is a lot going on so I hope you like it!

Special thanks to the following: Firetemplar415, Thestorymaker2, J. Hellscythe, Gaiseric, Dragonsatan, Naruhinafan86, NamikazeCP, Dragon780, and Winto-kun for helping convince me to keep going. I will do my best to keep updates rolling!

**Chapter 12**

Kushina had procrastinated for nearly a week before finally forcing herself to accept the truth of what Tsunade had told her. Her son held one very powerful bloodline and the potential for a second. It was Tsunade who finally get fed-up with her dragging her heels and, quite literally, dragged her to a meeting with the Hokage.

Sure, Kushina liked the old man, but she still did not fully trust him after everything that had taken place with her son. It had been his duty to watch over her son as much as any of his godparents and as a mother she wasn't sure she could ever forgive him for what happened under his watch. As she walked into the office with Jiraiya and Tsunade she leaned back and took a deep breath.

Hiruzen had seen people wound up before but he didn't know why Kushina was so stressed right then. He had thought everything had been getting better, the village had, for the most part, accepted Naruto as the Fourth's son and her as his widow. They practically worshipped the ground he walked on half the time and he was being trained and cared for by the most loving people he could ask for who _also_ happened to be some of the most powerful shinobi the village had ever produced.

Tsunade looked at Kushina who nodded to her before pulling a file from her jacket, "Sensei, could you active the privacy seals."

With a nod Hiruzen activated the seals with a single hand sign but raised an eyebrow as Jiraiya placed several seals around the room muttering something about 'extra security'. The old Kage definitely had his curiosity piqued at this point as he reached and opened the file placed on his desk.

"So, what's so important that you had to erect extra security and privacy seals in the most secure office in the entire village?" The Hokage muttered as he began to read the medical file. It did not take long before his eyes widened at what he was reading.

"You are sure of this?" Hiruzen asked in complete seriousness.

"Yes sensei, both Shizune and I ran the test three separate times, Naruto has a new bloodline and the potential to produce a Mokuton user," Tsunade answered him in a quiet voice before taking a deep breath and launching into an explanation of the first question she anticipated her sensei would ask.

"While it has never been documented how bloodlines are created the prevailing theory has held that clans with specific skill-sets, such as the Nara Shadow Manipulation or the Hyuga Gentle Fist, have a genetic mutation occur. This mutation usually starts out small, typically seen as a greater propensity for the skills used by the family or clan. As the mutation gets passed on it increases until eventually altering the genetic structure of the descendants to create the bloodline.

"While the Namikaze has never been known for a bloodline there were cases documented of advanced healing in the clan, but nothing ever on the level of a bloodline or what Naruto has. The Uzumaki clan does have a chakra based bloodline behind their long life and vitality as well as their ability to suppress Bijuu to some extent. However we found no trace of the Uzumaki bloodline.

"At best guess, there was likely some form of genetic mutation taking place in the Namikaze clan that may have eventually become a bloodline limit over time but this mutation somehow merged with the chakra based bloodline of the Uzumaki to create this regenerative bloodline Naruto possesses."

As Tsunade concluded her explanation the old Kage before her closed his eyes in thought before asking his first question, "How can a bloodline merge with another? Shouldn't they cancel each other out or one over-power the other?"

"I think that is where the Kyubi comes in. Naruto was just born when the Kyubi was sealed within him this influx of chakra could have stabilized the merger between the bloodlines. I highly doubt the Namikaze bloodline would have become anything close to what we are currently seeing in Naruto. Most likely we would view it was an advance healing bloodline, but in Naruto we are seeing what really is a regenerative ability."

Kushina frowned at this before speaking, "If that was the case then why can the boy potentially produce a Mokuton user?"

"The Mokuton gene is a recessive one, since it wasn't active upon birth, like the Uzumaki or Namikaze, it wasn't affected," Tsunade replied.

Jiraiya took this moment to speak up and explain the situation to his sensei, "If this information were released every village, clan, and country would be vying to get their hands on Naruto to breed an army of regenerative shinobi. Hell, the Hyuga might just send women to attempt to rape the child to gain this kind of bloodline. Then you toss on the top that he would be capable of producing a potential mokuton user and I am not sure we would be able to take him out of the Namikaze district for fear of pursuit by marriage contracts."

"I see, so you want this information sealed then? I am assuming Tsunade has already removed any files or blood samples from the hospital and you just need my authorization to keep quiet about this. When do you intend to reveal this new bloodline and information?" Hiruzen asked already giving his unspoken assent to the plan.

"We want to keep Naruto's bloodline secret until he needs to show it or he is a jonin and capable of defending himself properly," Kushina told him, "That way he has time to come to terms with everything and we have time to train him in it. We were already planning to increase his training regimen and include a section on politics and marriage contracts so he isn't taken advantage of but with this new information it makes it all the more important."

Hiruzen nodded, "I agree, from this point these files are considered sealed to all but Tsuande and Jiraiya of the Sannin and Kushina and Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze or whoever Kushina deems acceptable to be privy to this knowledge."

The other five in the room relaxed visibly knowing they had the support of their sensei and leader before Hiruzen brought up another subject that chilled them to the bone.

"I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you Kushina. We received communication from the Tsuchikage. He plans to travel to Konoha on a diplomatic mission and would look to meet with me, you, and Naruto. He will arrive in two weeks."

**Uchiha Clan District**

In a village with a population numbering in the tens of thousands there were few places where one could find any real quiet. Sadly, one of those places was the now deserted Uchiha district. Before the massacre the place had been filled with members of the famed clan. Numbering well over two thousand strong the Uchiha were one of the largest clans found in Konoha.

This also made what Itachi did seem all that much more impossible. Even if the people took into account only half the Uchiha clan were actually active duty shinobi it still seemed unreal that a single person could wipe out thousands in a single night. And ever since that night Sasuke Uchiha, the sole survivor, had lived in the silence of his clans district alone.

Sasuke had been a child when he had lost his clan, it had scarred him emotionally and mentally. When he brought his new family home he had hoped they would bring some life back to the clan's silent district but they were always so quiet. They would not speak unless spoken too and always answered more like a machine than a person.

After nearly a week Sasuke began to wonder if they would ever respond to him like his clan used to, like family.

"Breakfast is ready," Sasuke yelled to the five Uchiha children in the living room. They sat silently, a bit stiffly, but not quite as much as they had when they had first arrived.

Sasuke set the plates filled with eggs and rice down on the table and poured each them some juice before he began to eat in silence.

This had become a ritual of sorts. Every morning Sasuke would wake the children up, they would get dressed and then sit in the living room until he called for them to eat breakfast. Breakfast was then eaten in silence while Sasuke made attempts to smile and strike up conversation.

"So, would you like to do something to day?" Sasuke asked as he tried to smile at his cousins. He found it unnerving the way they never seemed to respond.

When they had arrived he had let them pick their own rooms. Each was basic, just having a dresser, futon, desk, and closet. His first thoughts were that they would go running around the house to find the room of their choice but instead they stood in line as if waiting for him to assign them rooms. Sasuke had frowned and told them again to pick whichever room they wanted. It was only after explaining that he wanted them to choose the room that they felt more comfortable in that they nodded slowly and began to make their way through the house.

_Whatever happened to them has really hurt them, I will have to be patient with them until they are ready to open up_, Sasuke thought to himself. They were clan, family, and he would do anything to see them safe and healthy. That was what his father would have wanted, but even Sasuke had to admit he was not entirely sure how to go about helping them.

After his first attempt at conversation failed he tried another tactic he had decided on the night before, he noticed that Amesha had moved her desk in her room slightly the other day. He had not asked about it at the time but it was the first movement of independent thought he had seen in his cousins and decided to see if he could use it.

"Amesha, I noticed you moved your desk a bit yesterday," Sasuke said with an attempt at being casual. He noticed immediately how the girl tensed up and prepared for what he assumed would be a punishment for the 'infraction', but he continued quickly, "would you like to get some new furniture for you room? Maybe something more colorful? Or maybe paint the room? It is yours after all, we could do anything you would like it."

The young Uchiha stared at Sasuke for a moment, her eyes widening slightly as she absorbed the words he had just said, "We could all go together and you could all get some furniture and clothes you like, and we could get paint and paint your rooms. Would you like that?"

While the other children did not respond he saw Amesha tense up and, for the first time since they had arrived at their new home, spoke to him, "Yes, please."

Sasuke smiled at her, a genuine, warm smile, "We can go after breakfast, how does that sound?"

Amesha answered quietly again, "Ok."

It was a mere three words, but it meant the world to Sasuke to hear them. He noticed the other children seemed to have a dazed expression on their face. Sasuke frowned inwardly, being sure to keep the smile on his face, _Whatever happened to them must make them think they will get in trouble by being individuals or having individual tastes, I'll have to really work to get them out of their shells._

And so the Uchiha family finished breakfast as Sasuke and his cousins set out, quietly monitored by three teams of ANBU, toward the furniture store to be followed by the hardware store for paint.

**Unknown Location**

Danzo stared down at the paper his kneeling subordinate had handed him before schooling his features and sipping his tea.

"So this is the best my agents were able to recover?"

"Hai," the masked shinobi responded.

Danzo had not said it but he knew he was in a very precarious position. His back up base had only been under construction a short time before he had been forced to evacuate his primary facility under Konoha. He had also lost the majority of his forces and all of his recruits.

While some would have been angry at the set-back Danzo actually smiled and was slightly happy for it.

_Well old friend, it appears you aren't as weak as I thought_, he mused to himself_, perhaps I underestimated you and it has cost me dearly._

The report Danzo held in his hands was a full accounting of his forces, the recruits they had so far been able to obtain from the various locations in the fire country, and their current supplies. He frowned as he considered ROOTs position away from Konoha, they were balanced on a knife's edge between survival and destruction.

He had lost nearly four hundred agents when his primary compound fell along with the some 200 recruits that had been in training. He had recalled all of his field units to bolster the hundred that he had brought with him to the beta site but even with them they barely numbered 300 shinobi. A force that was too large to be kept in the shadow of Konoha without eventually being found and far too small to hope to survive an engagement against Konoha's far greater size if Hiruzen were to be intent on finishing the job he had started and Danzo had no doubt he would.

His first thoughts were to recruit new soldiers from the orphans within the fire country, but that had proven a disappointment at best. Barely 120 children of the proper age and most of them of very poor quality at best possessing only minimal amounts of chakra and even poorer potential shinobi skills, most would die within the first few weeks of training.

The only good news was that their supplies, which had been stock-piled before the invasion, allowed them to live comfortably for a long period of time before needing to contact outside sources.

Danzo again sipped his tea as he looked over the report. So far his attempts to make contact with Orochimaru had failed. It appeared the man had decided to remain quiet for the moment and did not wish to be found. This placed Danzo in an awkward position. He could not remain within the fire country long, but he also knew he lacked the forces to simply invade anywhere with even a mediocre shinobi village. That meant Snow, Grass, Waterfall, and the dozen or so smaller villages were out of the question.

Danzo looked at the map closely, he considered going to wave country as it was close and had no shinobi village but dismissed it. It was too close to Konoha and the ruins of the old whirlpool village were nearby. Konoha maintained guard over the ruins as a token of respect for their old allies and in the hopes that some of the missing clans may return to restore it. A foolish waste of resources in Danzo's eyes but one he had held no decision in.

Danzo eyed the map before him as he laid the report onto the table. He small smile touched his lips and he knew where he would be taking his troops. A place he also decided might hold a potential ally that had decided to avoid him thus far. Rice country.

**Iwagakure**

"Why grandfather?!"

"Because it is the best plan for both the village and our family," Oonoki responded once again to his impatient granddaughter while rubbing his temple.

_Who knew she would be so adamantly opposed to the plan?_ He thought to himself as they walked through the small garden section of the rock village.

The young girl beside the aging Kage was named Kurotsuchi. Her pink pupil-less eyes could only stare in shock at her grandfather's pronouncement as her mind tried to contemplate what he had just told her.

They would be traveling alongside a bodyguard contingent to Konoha, the place rock shinobi hated with a burning passion, on a diplomatic mission to speak with the Hokage about potential alliances and trade agreements.

She just couldn't understand why her grandfather would do this! It made no sense! They did not need the tree hugging hippie's. The Rock had always been the largest of the shinobi village's and even after the third great war outnumbered the leaf and sand villages by almost two to one. They did not need anyone as far as the young girl was concerned, at least that's what her teachers always told her.

"But it doesn't make any sense grandfather! Why would you go to Konoha? We're strong enough without entangling ourselves with those tree-huggers!" she told time for the third time, or was it the fourth? Kurotsuchi wasn't sure anymore.

Oonoki sighed as they came upon a small pool with shiny stones residing in the water, "There is more going on than you realize 'tsuchi, much more. This will be a good thing for the village and our family."

The old Kage took on a far-away look as he stared toward the mountains which protected his home as a rare moment of inner regret took hold. In that moment he felt the full weight of all his years, all his decisions, and all his losses come crashing down on him.

"You will accompany myself and my contingent to Konoha, I believe it will do you well to see that the tree-huggers are not what much of the village has led you to believe. You will need this knowledge in the future granddaughter."

His granddaughter glared at his grandfather with a slight hint of betrayal in her eyes as she nodded her head. With the obvious order behind his last words she turned on her heel and stalked home to begin packing for the trip. Her anger coming off in waves as she made her way back toward the village proper leaving her grandfather with a single thought.

_That could have gone better…_

**Konohagakure**

_That could have gone better…_ the aging Hokage thought as he stared at the broken remains of his desk in front of him.

"Say. That. AGAIN!" the red-headed monst… mother spoke slowly, in a low voice.

"Oonoki wants to meet you and your son. He has sent a communication say he will arrive in the next two weeks to discussion potential alliances and trade agreements." He told her while considering once again the wisdom of sitting in this damn chair at his age.

"That bastard would never want an alliance with Konoha and you know it!" Kushina told him between clenched teeth while a burning hatred filled her eyes. Iwa had been one of the three great villages that had attacked her home. Beyond that they had led the attack that had slaughtered her family and even now she remembered arriving too late. The bodies and blood of her kinsmen everywhere, all because those damn bastards feared their sealing skills and bloodline.

That had been her motivation in the third great war. Every battle had been a chance to avenge her family, to see their lives paid back in rock shinobi blood tenfold. And she had bled them well.

Hiruzen turned a stiff glare to the young woman before him, "That was ten years ago Kushina. I know you are still under-going therapy but time has passed and things have changed. Oonoki is no fool and very likely realizes that without a potential alliance his village will fall behind the others. Lightning and Mist have always been close and there have been reports that Lightning shinobi have made passes near Iwa's border. He is likely doing this as a show of force rather than of any real interest in an alliance. But, you will meet with him Kushina, you AND Naruto. Even if I have to order it was your Hokage."

Kushina's blood boiled with rage at the final statement, "You… You dare to order me in the same room as that monster?" she said in a low voice.

Did he even understand what he was asking? This man had murdered her father and brother. He had ordered the deaths of thousands of her family. The entire Uzumaki clan was wiped out because of him and he wanted her to sit down and have tea with him?!

Before she could continue a comforting hand made it was to her shoulder.

Kushina's gaze with Hiruzen broke and she looked at Tsunade who had stepped beside her, "They killed my family too Kushina. I won't let you be in a room alone with that beast. He took away my aunts and uncles, my cousins, the same as you cousin. And if he thinks he can walk in there and taunt you for it I will make sure he knows there will be consequences."

Tsunade's voice was calm and steady as she spoke. It never rose in pitch or volume but there was an undercurrent of power behind the words. This was the Tsunade of the Sannin. One of the legendary three. And even beyond that, one of the Senju. While most did not hear of the Senju as a clan any longer it would not be wise to assume they simply ceased to exist. Many claimed kinship to the great clan in the village and Tsunade was considered their clan head. Only a fool would mistake the obvious anger as simply that of just Tsunade. When she spoke, she spoke for all Senju who sought vengeance for their lost family. And it was only this support that calmed Kushina enough to look at the aging Kage before her.

"I will do it, but only because Minato would never allow us to run away from our enemies. I want Kakashi and Jiraiya with us just in case he tries anything. This is not negotiable."

Hiruzen nodded, "Agreed."

She placed a hand over Tsunade's and squeezed it tightly in thanks before turning and walking out of the room.

"Jiraiya, please remain behind, there is a matter of which I would like to speak to you on." Hiruzen said as Tsunade and Shizune followed Kushina out the door.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow before nodding and remaining at his place by the wall.

Hiruzen sighed deeply as he reached for his pipe. Taking slow, measured movements he filled the pipe with tobacco and lit it. After a slow puff he stood and turned to look out the window at the village in the daylight sun. Everything was so peaceful, so perfect in an imperfect way. It made him smile inside to know he had been a part of creating this place, his home.

"I'm old." He said.

Jiraiya chuckled, "You were old before time sensei."

"No Jiraiya, I am getting too old to continue sitting here before irate mothers. I am far past my prime and while I may still be strong I am far from the great 'professor' I used to be. My reign as Hokage should have ended over ten years ago and I should be enjoying a wonderful retirement. I asked you once before and I am asking again, please, take the hat."

Jiraiya remained silent for a long time. This was a conversation they had held before Minato was selected to become the Fourth Hokage. It was always a quiet subject of pride to Jiraiya that he had been his sensei's first choice in becoming his successor over Orochimaru or his student but before it would never have worked. No one else could maintain his spy contacts and he had simply felt he was unprepared to take over such a position.

What would the world think? Him as Hokage? The Super Pervert and Author of the acclaimed Icha Icha series leading the village hidden in the leaves? No one would take him seriously and, deep down, he simply had not felt worthy of the title. He always carried around the insecurity that he would fail. That he was not good enough and the trust the people may place in him would be broken by his mistakes.

"Things have changed haven't they sensei?" he asked quietly.

Hiruzen nodded his silent answer.

_Things have changed…_ those words held within them a mass of emotions and thoughts that Jiraiya could never convey. Things have truly changed for him. He had a home, a family, and connection deeper than any before to the village. More than that though, he had a reason to stay and keep everyone safe.

"I would need time to finish training my godson and a replacement as spymaster." Jiraiya said in quiet contemplation.

"I have the perfect replacement for you." His sensei told him with a slight smile.

For an unknown amount of time the two men stood in silence, neither saying anything as both were left to their thoughts. Always before Jiraiya had said he was unprepared for the job. Or that he would not make a good leader. He had even said he enjoyed traveling too much to stop. But the truth was Jiraiya had always felt he was not worthy of the position. Deep inside he felt like he could never meet the standards that his sensei had set for him and was ashamed of that, whether it was true or not.

But now things had changed, Jiraiya had changed, and for the first time in his life he felt a deep connection to his home. It was not some vague sense of loyalty to a place he was born but a sense of family, something he never thought he could feel again after Minato had passed away. Kushina, Naruto, Tsunade, and even Shizune and Kakashi were family to him and he did not want to let that go. It was the first time in so long he felt complete inside.

"When Naruto graduates the academy, I will take the hat if you still want me too," Jiraiya said finally.

Hiruzen turned his gaze from the village to his student and with a smile nodded, "That is acceptable. That gives me plenty of time to train you and get you up to speed on everything. I will send for the person I have in mind as your replacement as spymaster immediately as well."

Jiraiya nodded before grinning, "This will cause Orochimaru to have a heart attack, you realize that right?"

Hiruzen chuckled for a moment before bowing his head to his student, "Thank you."

Jiraiya moved from his place and hugged his old sensei, "No sensei, thank you for being patient with me."

With that Jiraiya walked out of the door to the waiting presence of his family, the family he had waited so long to have.

**Unkown Location**

A small raven flew quickly and quietly to a camp site in the woods. It had taken several days to find its master but the stoic youth seated before the fire barely acknowledged the creatures arrival. The silence of the dark forest was broken only by the crackling of the fire before him. It was odd, as if nature itself was respectful of this young man within its presence.

"So, you have a message do you Ryuchi?" a voice devoid of emotion said as the raven landed on his shoulder and allowed him to take the small note before accepting a bit of food from its master. The youth stroked the raven's head, conveying a sense of familiarity and affection that did not show on his face. He slowly, carefully untied the note.

_Raven is forgiven_

The stoic youth read the note and nodded, "It seems I am being recalled home."

"What will you do now… Kisame?"

The blue skinned man sitting across from him chuckled darkly, "Return to the leaf for some secret mission? Sounds like more fun than we've been doing so far, I'll give it a shot… Itachi Uchiha."


End file.
